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

It's our last quarterfinal, with the Academy at Charlemont... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Weston High 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.

There's just one more spot available in the semifinals, so today's last quarterfinal match should be a good one.

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.

We're ready.

Good luck.

Here we go.

First published in 1960, what classic American novel was almost titled "Atticus"?

Ben.

- "To Kill a Mockingbird."

HANSON: Yes.

What gas is produced when vinegar and baking soda react?

Ben.

- Carbon dioxide.

HANSON: Yes.

At just 34 seconds, "Steve's Lava Chicken" from "A Minecraft Movie" is the shortest song to ever chart on Billboard's Hot 100.

Who sings it?

Fallon.

- Jack Black.

HANSON: That's right.

What Greek god of marriage was the jealous and spiteful wife of Zeus?

Johan.

- Hera.

HANSON: That's right.

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

What communications and observation tower in Toronto, seen here, is the tallest freestanding structure in North America?

Madeline.

- CN Tower.

HANSON: That's right.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations commemorate May 5, 1862, when Mexico defeated what country at the Battle of Puebla?

Johan.

- France.

HANSON: Correct.

What English ruler was known as "the Virgin Queen" because she never married and had no children, choosing instead to dedicate herself to her reign and her nation?

James.

- Elizabeth I. HANSON: Correct.

The Superfund is a federal program to clean up toxic waste sites.

It was created in December 1980, during which president's final days in office?

Ben.

- Jimmy Carter.

HANSON: Yes.

Comedians Robin Williams and Steve Martin played Gogo and Didi in a 1988 production of what absurdist play by Samuel Beckett?

Fallon.

- "Waiting for Godot."

HANSON: Correct.

After 232 years of production, the U.S.

Mint stopped producing pennies in late 2025.

Pennies from the final minted set sold at auction for $16.7 million.

The pennies feature what mark, the last letter of the classical Greek alphabet?

Fallon.

- Omega.

HANSON: Yes.

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is located in what Alabama city nicknamed Rocket City for its technology-based economy?

Ben.

- Huntsville.

HANSON: Huntsville is right.

After oxygen, what is the second-most abundant element in the Earth's crust, making up about 28% of its mass: silicon, aluminum, or iron?

James.

- Silicon.

HANSON: Yes.

Nicknamed "Old Kinderhook," referring to his birthplace in Kinderhook, New York, what U.S.

president took office during the financial panic of 1837 and was resoundingly defeated in his reelection campaign?

Lucas.

- Martin Van Buren.

HANSON: Van Buren is right.

Inspired by the drama and movements of a bullfight, what ballroom dance means "double step" in Spanish?

(buzzer sounds) That is the paso doble.

Founded in Chicago in 1959, what legendary improv theater troupe helped launch the careers of John Belushi, Stephen Colbert, Amy Poehler, and many other comedy greats?

(buzzer sounds) That is The Second City.

All 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 Charlemont with 40 points.

Weston has 90.

Let's get back to the game.

What two-word Latin term refers to the part of the brain that controls breathing and heartbeat?

(buzzer sounds) That is the medulla oblongata.

What national park in Utah has the world's largest collection of hoodoos, which are thin pillars of rock shaped by years of erosion?

Madeline - Arches.

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

(buzzer sounds) That is Bryce Canyon National Park.

What 18th-century French chemist observed that mass is neither created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction, otherwise known as the Law of the Conservation of Mass?

James.

- Lavoisier.

HANSON: That's correct, Antoine Lavoisier.

Known for his iconic roles as Popeye Doyle in "The French Connection" and Lex Luthor in the "Superman" films, what Oscar-winning actor passed away in 2025 at age 95?

(buzzer sounds) That actor is Gene Hackman.

In Donna Tartt's novel "The Secret History," fictional Hampton College is based on what liberal arts college in Vermont where Tartt studied classics?

Fallon.

- Bennington College.

HANSON: Bennington is right.

A surprise global hit and an example of slow TV, "The Great Moose Migration" is a 24-hour livestream of annual moose migration in what Scandinavian country?

Ivan.

- Sweden.

HANSON: Sweden is right.

Portrayed by Ray Liotta in the film "Field of Dreams," what player involved in the Black Sox scandal of 1919 was reinstated by Major League Baseball in 2025, making him eligible for the sport's Hall of Fame?

James.

- Shoeless Joe Jackson.

HANSON: Correct.

Condemned as a heretic and burned at the stake in 1415, what Czech religious reformer was a forerunner to Martin Luther: Jan Hus, Ulrich Zwingli, or Peter Waldo?

Ivan.

- Jan Hus.

HANSON: Jan Hus is right.

George Clooney earned his first Tony nomination for his lead role in "Good Night and Good Luck," the story of what real-life CBS newsman who bravely confronted Senator Joe McCarthy in the 1950s?

James.

- Walter Cronkite.

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

(buzzer sounds) That was Edward R. Murrow.

In the geographic region known as the Horn of Africa, which country occupies the tip of the Horn, meaning its easternmost area?

James.

- Somalia.

HANSON: Somalia is right.

In taxonomy, the three domains are Archaea, Eukarya, and what third domain?

James.

- Bacteria.

HANSON: Yes.

Mandarin Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English are the four national languages of what independent city-state in Southeast Asia?

Johan.

- Singapore.

HANSON: Yes.

Caused by a toxin growing on improperly preserved or canned foods, what rare but serious food poisoning attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis and even death?

Ben.

- Botulism.

HANSON: Yes.

Who assured the world that Americans "have no desire for territorial expansion" in his inaugural address in 1929?

James.

- Uh, Hoover.

HANSON: Herbert Hoover is right.

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

The score is Charlemont with 70 points.

Weston has 160 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Last week, Sharon beat Natick to move on to the semifinals.

In today's last quarterfinal match, the Academy at Charlemont and Weston are both hoping to advance to the semifinals.

The head-to-head round is next, but first, we're going to take a minute and get to know the players a little bit better.

Charlemont, start with you.

Ivan, you've written quiz bowl questions yourself.

- Yeah, Lucas, Fallon, and I wrote a packet about our school.

HANSON: Now, did you quiz each other, or did you quiz the rest of the school with this?

- We quizzed the rest of the school.

HANSON: How'd they do?

- Fairly well.

HANSON: Does that help you guys kind of get in the, the right mindset?

Get in the zone for real matches?

- Mostly, it's a lot of fun.

HANSON: Yeah, that's good.

Fallon, you've been acting in Shakespeare plays, I hear, since a very young age.

- Yeah, I started when I was seven-- I was in "The Tempest."

HANSON: How many different Shakespeare plays have you done so far?

- I have done five, I think.

Um, I stopped doing them regularly when I was ten.

HANSON: What's the trick?

I mean, Shakespeare plays, that language is beautiful, but gotta be so hard to memorize.

- I mean, Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter, which is really good for memorization.

So it's actually not super-difficult, compared to modern plays.

HANSON: So you're saying I should just try harder.

(laughter) - Yeah, I think so, Joe.

HANSON: Lucas, you play heavy metal.

- I do, on the guitar.

HANSON: Now, is that a good way to kind of release some tension?

- Oh, yeah, I come home from school every day.

I just blast it, shred-- yeah, it's a lot of fun.

HANSON: What do your neighbors think of that?

- Well, my parents are, are happy that I'm doing something, right?

(laughter) I think it's loud, but they, they suffer through it.

The neighbors are far enough away.

HANSON: They're probably telling themselves, "At least he's not a drummer."

(laughter) - Right?

Yeah, definitely.

HANSON: Solomon, you've got a cool and interesting hobby, as well.

You're into mycology?

- Yeah, me and my family go foraging for mushrooms.

HANSON: Do you ever run into anything that you maybe shouldn't eat?

- Yeah, we just know-- you just don't take it and... Steer clear of it.

HANSON: Do you have a favorite mushroom to eat?

- Black trumpets.

HANSON: Are black trumpets one you've foraged for?

- Yeah.

HANSON: They're just around here?

- Yeah.

HANSON: So do you have a favorite dish you like to make?

- I mean, they're pretty good in an omelet or pasta.

HANSON: Pretty awesome.

The coach of the Charlemont team is Neale Gay.

(cheers and applause) Now over to Weston.

Johan, you have never been stung by a bee.

- Nope, never.

HANSON: Now, is there, like, a, a trick to that?

Is there, like, a strategy you've employed?

- Personally, I think it's just luck.

(laughter) Yeah.

HANSON: It's not that bees look at you and they just, they're scared and run the other way or something.

(laughter) - Might be a little bit of that.

HANSON: Do you ever go sniffing up to flowers and try to make friends, let them know you're a nice guy?

(laughter) - Uh, not really, so, maybe that helps.

(laughter) HANSON: Ben, you are a tennis player?

- Yes.

HANSON: You can do some trick shots, I hear.

- Yeah, I've been, I've been trying to learn some.

HANSON: What's your best trick shot?

- The most recent one I've gotten is, like, hitting behind the back, actually.

I'm glad to finally get that one down.

HANSON: Does that come in handy in, like, a real tennis match?

- Not yet, but one day it could.

(laughter) HANSON: James, you're a climber, I hear.

- Yeah.

HANSON: Do you do, like, bouldering or rope climbing?

- I climb all sorts of things-- trees, buildings, and rocks.

On, on rock walls, I do also a bunch of stuff.

I'm trying to learn how to trad climb, which is where you hook in the hooks to the rock wall, which is just far more dangerous than all other forms.

But still not technically just climbing a wall.

HANSON: And you only have yourself to blame if you fall on that one, right?

- I do have a belayer.

There's a second person below me.

HANSON: Okay.

- So they, they also could drop the ball.

HANSON: Madeline, you had some interesting pets in the house for a little while.

- Yes, one winter, we kept three goats in our garage.

HANSON: I have to ask, where did these goats come from?

- They're from a local farm in our town that just needed somewhere to put them in the winter.

HANSON: Did they start out as babies?

- Yeah, they were babies.

And we only kept them for, like, one winter, so it was nice.

HANSON: So who really took care of them?

- It was a joint effort-- mostly my parents, but I tried a little to help.

(laughter) HANSON: Did you name your goats?

- They already had names.

They were, like, Peanut, and I don't remember the rest.

HANSON: Peanut's a cute name for a goat, I love that.

Rounding out the Weston team are alternate Jason and coaches Rebecca D'Angelo and Alison Langsdorf.

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.

Get a little friendly handshake to start off with?

All right, good luck.

Here we go.

What major canal opened in 1869 in Egypt?

- The Suez.

HANSON: Yes.

The modern trench coat got its name from its use in the trenches of which war?

- World War I. HANSON: Yes.

In tennis, what is the official term for a score of zero?

- Love.

HANSON: Yes.

What is the eighth and most distant planet from the sun?

- Neptune.

HANSON: Yes.

What Washington Irving story is about a man who falls asleep... - "Rip Van Winkle."

HANSON: Yes.

To run for U.S.

president, you must be a nat... - 35.

HANSON: Yes.

Buffalo Bill Cody was a rider for what private mail service operating from Missouri to California in the 1860s?

(buzzer sounds) The Pony Express.

Neanderthal fossils were first identified in the Neander Valley of what present-day country?

- Germany.

HANSON: Yes.

What low-cost furniture giant sells more than a billion Swedish meatballs... - IKEA.

HANSON: Yes.

Lagos is a fast-growing megacity in which African country?

- Nigeria.

HANSON: Yes.

Gentoo and chinstrap are species of what bird that can swim but not fly?

- Penguin.

HANSON: Yes.

At age 20, who became king of Macedonia after the assassination of his father, Philip II?

(buzzer sounds) Alexander the Great.

In Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Mr.

Jeremy Fisher," what kind of animal is Jeremy?

(buzzer sounds) Frog.

A gift from France, what statue commemorates... - Statue of Liberty.

HANSON: Yes.

Arabic for "lawful," what term describes meats and other foods that can form... - Halal.

HANSON: Yes.

What is the term... (bell rings) That is the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Charlemont has 120 points.

Weston has 230 points.

Let's give it up for both teams.

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

Today's categories are: B-Roll, Mecca My Day, Dating Pool, Fur Real, The Poseidon Adventure, and Tummy Time.

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.

Charlemont, who's your spokesperson?

Ivan.

Weston, how about you?

Ben.

Okay, Charlemont, you have a little ground to make up.

First category goes to you.

- We'll take B-Roll.

HANSON: B-Roll.

All answers in this category start with the letter B. For ten points.

At one time the most popular show on TV, with a weekly viewership of over one billion people, what series starring David Hasselhoff was originally titled "Aquatic Corps for Emergency Services"?

- (whispers): I have no idea.

(team whispering) - (whispers): Pass.

- (aloud): Pass.

HANSON: That show was "Baywatch."

For 15 points.

Meaning "farmer" in Dutch, what term describes the early Dutch-speaking settlers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State regions of what is now South Africa?

- Boers.

HANSON: Correct.

For 20 points in B-Roll.

Invented in 2008 to serve as the public transaction ledger of Bitcoin, what decentralized system of technology allows digital information to be distributed but not copied?

- Blockchain.

HANSON: Correct.

For 25 points, in astronomy, what term describes how light shifts towards shorter wavelengths as objects in space move towards another object or towards us?

- Blueshift.

HANSON: Correct.

And for 30 points.

A language isolate is not related to any other language that we know of.

Spoken by about 750,000 people, mainly in Northeastern Spain, what is the only language isolate in Europe?

- Basque.

HANSON: Correct.

Weston, your category.

- (whispering) - (aloud): Mecca My Day.

HANSON: Mecca My Day.

These are questions about the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

For ten points.

Foreigners make up over half the population of what Saudi capital city?

- (whispers): Riyadh.

- (aloud): Riyadh.

HANSON: Correct.

For 15 points.

Saudi Arabia is part of what international oil exporting organization founded in 1960?

- OPEC.

HANSON: That's right.

For 20 points.

Established in 2009, KAUST, or King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, is a graduate research center located on the shores of what sea?

- (whispers): There's the Red Sea, but it's the Persian... - I think we pass that, right?

- Sure.

- (aloud): Pass.

HANSON: That is the Red Sea.

For 25 points in Mecca My Day.

Saudi Arabia's King Fahd International Airport is the largest airport in the world.

Spanning 9,080 acres, it exceeds the area of what tiny neighboring country, the smallest in the Middle East?

- (whispers): I think it's, um... - Bahrain?

- Yeah, I think it's Bahrain, right?

- Oh, yeah, yeah.

- (aloud): Bahrain.

HANSON: Bahrain is right.

For 30 points.

Also known as Kingdom Tower, what skyscraper currently under construction will surpass the Burj Khalifa as the world's tallest building?

- The Jeddah Tower.

HANSON: Jeddah Tower is right.

Charlemont, your next category.

- We'll take The Poseidon Adventure.

HANSON: The Poseidon Adventure.

These are questions about Greek mythology.

For ten points.

Unlike his sister Athena, who represents strategic and disciplined warfare, what Greek god is associated with the brutal and chaotic aspects of war?

- Ares.

HANSON: That's right.

For 15 points.

After Athens was defeated by Crete, Athens was forced to periodically send seven youths and seven maidens to be devoured by what bull-headed monster imprisoned in the Labyrinth?

- The Minotaur.

HANSON: Yes, the Minotaur.

For 20 points in The Poseidon Adventure.

The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy in Western Anatolia.

According to Homer's "Iliad," the war lasted how many years?

- (whispers): 26-- 20-something.

- What's the something?

- Uh, seven-- try seven.

- (aloud): 27.

- (whispers) HANSON: No, that is ten years long.

For 25 points.

What legendary musician traveled with Jason and the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece and descended into the underworld to recover his lost wife, Eurydice?

- Orpheus.

HANSON: Orpheus is right.

For 30 points.

What Greek goddess of agriculture is best known as the mother of Persephone, who was carried off into the underworld by Hades?

- "Dehmehter."

HANSON: Demeter is right, yes.

Weston, final category to you.

- (whispers): Fur Real?

(aloud): Fur Real.

HANSON: Fur Real.

These are questions about mammals.

For ten points.

What large cat can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in just three strides, making it an incredible sprinter?

- Cheetah.

HANSON: Cheetah is right.

For 15 points.

Endemic to Australia and known for its strong bite and distinctive scream, what is the world's largest carnivorous marsupial?

- (whispers): Kangaroo-- got to be a kangaroo.

I think it's a kangaroo.

- But they, they don't have a bite, though.

They don't have a bite.

- I think it's a kangaroo.

- I don't think it's a kangaroo.

- I'm guessing.

- I guess.

- (aloud): A kangaroo.

HANSON: No, that animal is the Tasmanian devil.

For 20 points.

What large land animal has the longest gestation period of any mammal, at about 22 months?

- (whispering): Elephant.

- Sure.

- (aloud): An elephant.

HANSON: Elephant is right.

For 25 points in Fur Real.

Known for their picky diet of eucalyptus leaves, what tree-dwelling marsupial has fingerprints nearly identical to those of a human?

- A koala.

HANSON: Correct.

For 30 points.

The duck-billed platypus glows under U.V.

light, has no stomach, and uses electroreception to detect prey.

This strange creature belongs to what order of egg-laying mammals?

- (whispers): Do you know it?

- I've got nothing.

- Do you know it?

- An echidna is also one, but I don't know... - Do we pass that, then?

- I feel like we just should just pass it.

- (aloud): Pass.

HANSON: The answer we were looking for is monotreme.

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

The score is Charlemont with 270 points.

Weston has 350 points.

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.

Drawing about 1.4 million visitors annually, what city has the largest Mardi Gras celebration in the U... Fallon.

- Um, New Orleans.

HANSON: Yes.

Which planet has 274 confirmed moons, including the planet-sized Titan?

Fallon.

- Saturn.

HANSON: Yes.

An affluent area known as Black Wall Street was burned in... Ivan.

- Oklahoma.

HANSON: Tulsa is what we're looking for.

In 1857, Boston native James Pierpont copyrighted what song under its original title, "One Horse Open Sleigh"?

Ben.

- "Jingle Bells."

HANSON: Yes.

Meaning "high city" in Greek, what Athens hilltop is home... Ivan.

- The Acropolis.

HANSON: Yes.

Eric Barone created what popular role-playing video game where you inherit a farm from your grand... Fallon.

- "Stardew Valley."

HANSON: Yes.

The capital cities of Bratislava, Belgrade, and Vienna are situated along... Ivan.

- Danube.

HANSON: Yes.

A typical adult human skeleton has how many bones?

Ben.

- 206.

HANSON: Yes.

Discovered in 1952 in the debris of the first hydrogen bomb test, which element has the chemical symbol Es?

Ivan?

- No answer.

HANSON: Einsteinium.

What city in Maine is the easternmost state capital in the United States?

Ben.

- Augusta.

HANSON: Yes.

Released in 1928, what short Mickey Mouse film was the first Disney car... Lucas.

- "Steamboat Willie."

HANSON: Yes.

Which U.S.

state was the site of the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates of... Lucas.

- Illinois.

HANSON: Yes.

Billy Dee Williams and Donald Glover have both played what smooth-talking "Star Wars" character?

James.

- Um... (buzzer sounds, bell rings) HANSON: We were looking for Lando Calrissian there.

The winning team this week is Weston with 390 points.

Charlemont finishes with 370 points.

A great match.

Congratulations to both teams.

Weston now moves on to the semifinals to play Sharon High School.

Join us next week, when the semifinals kick off with Buckingham Browne and Nichols going up against Mansfield.

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

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

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Cyber risk coverage from Safety Insurance is designed to help protect businesses from data breaches, ransomware, and other cyberattacks.

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

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Feel the power of indoor lightning, see robots dance and navigate obstacles, and meet Cliff, a 65-million-year-old Triceratops.

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