-Students from Robinson, Landon, Montgomery Blair meet today on "It's Academic."

♪♪ ♪♪ -Hello, everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard.

Welcome to "It's Academic," produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... Mitre, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

-The world is full of challenges, and at Mitre, we're committed to solving them.

From aviation and health to cyber and national security, our people know we are called to do more.

♪♪ Mitre, solving problems for a safer world.

-Alright, let's get this going with a Fast Start.

Let's do this.

You might want your parents to help in this round, because it's about events 40 years ago, in 1983.

See if you can identify the following.

She became the first American woman astronaut to go into -- Landon?

-Sally Ride.

-Sally Ride?

Final.

-Yes.

Congress created a national holiday in January honoring this man.

Landon?

-Martin Luther King Jr. -Correct.

-Death came to this inventor of the geodesic dome.

Landon?

Answer in three, two, one.

-Germany.

-No.

Buckminster Fuller.

This woman was reelected Prime Minister of Great -- Landon?

-Thatcher.

-Thatcher.

-Thatcher.

-Thatcher is right.

He published the novel "Foundation's Edge."

Montgomery Blair?

-Isaac Asimov?

-Asimov.

-Asimov it is.

She won a Pulitzer Prize for her novel "The Color Purple."

Blair?

-Walker.

-Yeah.

A bomb destroyed US Marine barracks in this capital -- Montgomery Blair?

-Beirut.

Beirut is right.

Mix and Match is next.

But first, we're going to meet our teams.

We begin with Robinson Secondary School from Fairfax, Virginia.

Hello, Emma.

Great to see you.

Tell us about yourself.

-Hi, I'm Emma.

I'm a senior at Robinson Secondary School, and I play the trumpet.

-What kind of stuff do you like to play?

-Um, my favorite right now is I'm in Philharmonic Orchestra, and I think it's really fun.

-Oh, that's wonderful.

Great to see you again, Emma.

Hello, Thomas.

-Hello.

I'm Thomas.

I'm a junior at Robinson, and I enjoy hiking.

-Where do you like to hike?

-Mountains of West Virginia.

-Oh, it's so beautiful there, right?

I like it too.

The really steep hills that are really long get a little old, but otherwise, I love it.

Hiya, Jack.

-Hi, I'm Jack.

I'm a junior at Robinson Secondary, and I'm part of the broadcast journalism team at Robinson.

-Oh, we have a lot to talk about.

You know my main gig, right?

I work at WTOP Radio during the afternoons.

You can listen between 2:00 and 7:00, everybody.

We should talk.

Alright, let's dive into this round, where questions are worth 20 points.

No penalty for a wrong answer, so be bold.

♪♪ Here's your first question.

"They sank a radio."

Look at this sentence carefully and you'll find the hidden name of what capital city of Turkey.

-Ankara?

-Yes.

Comprised entirely of vowels, this was the home of what mythical sorceress who in the Odyssey, turns the crew of Odysseus into swine?

-Circe?

-Yeah, you've got it, Emma.

"Did arm."

Before you take up weapons, see if you can rearrange these letters to identify the capital city of Spain.

-Madrid.

-Madrid is right.

"Freedom from arrest, freedom from fear, freedom of the seas."

Which of these choices was one of the four freedoms cited by Franklin Roosevelt in a 1941 message to Congress?

-Fear.

-Freedom from fear.

-Freedom from fear.

Yes.

"I will not retreat a single..." To complete this statement by abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, add what unit of measure equal to 2.54 centimeters?

-Inch.

-Inch is right.

Robinson Secondary, nice job.

You've got 200 points.

-Yay.

[ Applause ] Alright, Landon, and we'll start with you, Lawrence.

Hi.

-Hi.

-I'm Lawrence.

I'm a senior at Landon School.

I shoot riflery and I play tennis.

In my free time, I like to bake and I also like to build things.

-Ooh.

So let's talk about the baking.

What do you like to bake?

-I made macaroons last night.

-Nice.

Hiya, Thomas.

-Hi, I'm Thomas.

I'm a junior at Landon.

I am currently a swimmer and a water polo player.

But in my spare time, I love to play guitar and build with Legos.

-Awesome.

Real fun.

And Bao, how about you?

-Hi, I'm Bao.

I'm a senior at Landon.

I play the oboe for the Landon Band, and I'm also an editor for the school's magazine.

In my free time, I like to play some soccer.

-I think you guys have someone with you.

Is there a bear out there?

Where's the bear?

The Landon bear!

Let's hear it for the Landon bear!

Yes!

-Yeah.

[ Applause ] -Here's your question.

"Force a stern look."

Hidden in this phrase is the name of what Pacific Ocean island named for a spring religious holiday?

-Easter.

-Easter.

-Easter.

Final.

-Easter Island, yeah.

"Mau Mau."

Google these words and you'll find entries on a violent anti-colonial movement in what East African country whose capital is Nairobi?

-Kenya.

-Kenya.

-Kenya.

-Kenya it is.

"Cab mascots."

Rearrange the letters in this phrase and you'll name what underground burial chambers of Ancient Rome?

-Catacombs?

-Catacombs is right.

"Avogadro's number," "the Lorentz number," "Hooke's number."

The numbers on your score will increase if you know that which of these choices names the number of molecules in a mole of any substance?

-Avogadro's number?

-Yeah.

-"My first recollection is that of a blank call."

You can complete this statement by General MacArthur about his military upbringing, adding what valveless, trumpet-like instrument used to play "Taps" and "Reveille"?

-Bugle?

-Bugle is right.

Nice job, Landon.

220 points.

[ Applause ] And now to team three.

Hello, August.

What should we know about you?

-Hello, I'm a junior in the Communication Arts program here at Blair.

I'd like to thank my teammates and our alternate Henry for being here.

-So when you talk about communication arts, what is it specifically that you like?

-Well, in the Communication Arts program, I like a lot the TV studio class we had last year, where we were making short films and short documentaries.

-Oh, that's fabulous.

Wow.

A couple of people here interested in that.

And how about you, Ace?

-Hi, I'm Ace, I'm a 16-year-old junior, and I would first like to thank our coach, Mr. Rada, and our wonderful principal, Ms. Johnson.

I am a violin player, so I play a lot in orchestra and chamber music.

-Chamber music.

That's beautiful.

How long have you been doing that?

-Since third grade, so it'll be about seven years.

-Alright.

-Or eight years?

Yeah.

-Got some years under your belt.

And Jason, how about you?

-Yeah, so I'm a junior at Montgomery Blair.

I'm in the Magnet STEM program, and I also do a lot of Quiz Bowl.

I'd like to thank Mr. Hammond, Mr. Schaffer, and Ms. Partan for helping us out.

-Alright.

Anything else you want to add to that?

-That's it.

-Your turn to play.

"A glib Yankee."

Within this phrase, you can find the hidden name of what North African country whose capital is Tripoli?

-Libya?

-Yeah.

This treaty may be hard to pronounce.

That's why I didn't pronounce it, by the way.

But it ended what war which the British fought in South Africa against the Afrikaners from 1899 to 1902?

-Boer?

-Yes, you're right.

Next question.

"Spider nose."

I don't think spiders have noses, so rearrange these letters to name what severe economic condition worse than a recession that hit the United States in the 1930.

-Depression?

-Yes.

"Westward expansion," "importation of slaves," "trade with England."

The Constitution set the year 1808 as the year when Congress could, if it wished, end which of these activities?

-Importation of slaves?

-You've got it.

"A blank does not mind dying in coconut cream."

You can complete this Swahili proverb by filling in the blank with what insect that comes in tsetse and horse varieties?

-Fly.

Fly?

-Fly is right.

Montgomery Blair, 210 points.

Awesome job.

[ Applause ] And that is it for our Mix and Match.

Keep it here, because we've got the Picture Perfect round next.

♪♪ -I'm David Rubenstein.

From the Kennedy Center and the National Archives to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, I've been pleased to support many important organizations and historic sites linked to American history, art, culture, education and more.

I believe giving back to our country isn't just an idea, it's an action, a patriotic action that involves all of us, and it begins with education and learning about our nation's past so that we, the people, can make a more perfect union for the future.

We can do it together.

Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

♪♪ -It is time to decipher some images, because this is the Picture Perfect round.

And we're going to recap the scores before we dive in.

Robinson Secondary, 200 points.

Landon School, 220 points.

Montgomery Blair, 230 points.

Yay.

[ Applause ] -Alright, in this round, as you know, the first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Questions are worth 20 points up or down, so be careful.

Here's the first clue.

At Arlington's Tomb of the Unknown, soldiers walk -- Yes, Landon?

-Every hour.

-21 minutes.

Sorry about that.

What Balkan city where Archduke Franz -- Montgomery Blair?

-Sarajevo?

-Sarajevo it is.

Amsterdam is threaded with canals, one of which connects the city to what sea with a directional name?

Robinson?

-North Sea.

-North Sea is right.

This expression -- Landon?

-4 million.

-4 million, yeah.

Nice.

Africa's Victoria Falls -- Landon?

-The Nile River?

-No.

Zambezi River.

-"snd out 4 <)" might have been a desperate text from what mythical man condemned to be near food?

Blair?

-Tantalus.

-Yes, Tantalus.

This lovely sunset was photographed in what southernmost of the Florida Keys?

Blair?

-Key West?

-Key West is right.

And that's the end of the Picture Perfect round.

Now you know what that means -- halftime, so we get to meet your coaches.

And of course, we're going to start with Team One from Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia.

Thomas, why don't you tell us about the team that's with you today?

-Okay, so we have with us our principal, Ms. Phillips, our coach, Mrs. Glofelty, and our director of student activities, Mr. Jimbo.

-Great to have all you guys here.

Thanks so much.

And now to Landon.

Thomas, who's with you?

-With us, we have our our Honors Biology teacher, Ms. English, our college counselor, Mr. Luther, and our amazing head coach, Ms.

Chambers, as well as our alternate, David Laprade, in the audience today.

-Alright, David.

Thank you for being here, guys.

From Montgomery Blair, Ace, introduce us.

-Behind me, we have our amazing coach, Mr. Rada, and we have Henry Merrill in the audience, who is our alternate.

-It's awesome to have you guys here.

Thank you so much.

And now, of course, we get to do this Packet round, which is so much fun.

In this Packet round, as you know, Team One will get to answer questions first and Team Two will pick one of these fine packets to answer questions from.

So Landon, which packet will Robinson get?

Two.

Now in this round, questions are worth 20 points.

If you get all of the questions correct, there's a 25 point bonus.

Nothing off for a wrong answer, so let's have fun.

Thousands of children say that their favorite book is what E.B.

White story about a girl named Fern, a pig named Wilbur and a spider?

-"Charlotte's Web"?

-Yes, "Charlotte's Web" it is.

During the last months of World War II, many Japanese pilots flew suicide missions that were given what name?

-Kamikaze.

-Kamikaze.

-Kamikaze is right.

Though called the Great Emancipator, President Lincoln failed to back legislation freeing slaves in what Midwestern state that named the compromise of 1820?

-Missouri?

-Missouri.

-Missouri is it.

Here's your science question.

Carbonate, chloride, phosphate.

Treating a sea shell with hydrochloric acid results in the rapid evolution of a colorless gas indicating that the shell probably contains which of these?

-Chloride?

-Nope.

Carbonate.

Here is your next question.

Today we have electronic security systems, but in ancient Rome, households were guarded by what two-faced God after whom one of our monks is named?

-Janus?

-Janus it is.

A 19th century magazine called The Rolling Stone was published by what author whose real name was William Sydney Porter?

-O. Henry.

-O. Henry, yeah.

Here's your math question.

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

-25?

25.

-25 is right.

Believing literacy to be the key to survival, what Cherokee Indian leader created an alphabet which he used in his weekly newsletter?

Answer in three, two, one.

-No answer.

-The answer is Sequoyah.

Nice job, Robinson.

340 points.

[ Applause ] Alright, Landon, you get to play.

Montgomery Blair, which packet, one or three?

-We'll give them one.

-Okay.

-What ancient Norse god of thunder drowned in a sea of venom after he killed an evil serpent with his magic hammer?

-Thor?

-Yes.

Although George Washington had limited formal education, he did receive an honorary degree from what oldest US college in Cambridge, Massachusetts?

-Harvard.

-Harvard?

-Harvard is right.

A 1966 Supreme Court decision requiring that all arrested persons be read their rights was named for what man?

-Miranda.

Miranda?

-Miranda, yes.

Here's your science question.

Atom of Mass 8.

Helium Nucleus.

Atom of Mass 2.

Which of these choices is identical to an alpha particle?

-Helium Nucleus.

-Helium Nucleus?

-You've got it.

It's one of the worst naval disasters in history.

Rome lost 248 ships when its fleet was caught in a storm during the first Punic War against what African city-state?

-Carthage.

-Carthage?

-Yes.

-The Spanish word aficionado became popular in this country after it was used in the bullfight stories of what American novelist who wrote "For Whom the Bells Toll."

-Hemingway.

-Hemingway?

-Yeah.

Here's your math question.

-Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as an integer.

-144?

-You've got it.

-The first military hero to be honored with a New York City ticker tape parade was what naval hero who won the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay?

-Dewey?

-Dewey?

-Not only did you get that right, you've got a 25 point bonus!

Woo!

Great job, Landon.

[ Applause ] -And that leaves packet number three for Blair.

"Out of sight, out of mind" might have been the fear of residents when they chose the forget-me-not as the state flower for what northernmost US state?

-Maine?

-Alaska.

-Oh, Alaska.

-During the Irish rebellion -- No, you're not.

[ Chuckles ] During the Irish rebellion of 1798, The British brought in a troupe of what German mercenaries who had also fought in the American Revolution?

-Hessians?

-Yeah.

-The Italian poet Garibaldi considered his most significant military victory to be the conquest of what largest Italian island where Palermo is located?

-Sardinia?

-Sicily.

-Here is your science question.

Velocity, force, momentum.

The time rate of change of displacement is called which of these?

-Velocity?

-Yes.

-The rhyme pattern of Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha" is based on "The Kalevala," an epic work from what country whose capital is Helsinki?

-Finland.

-Yeah.

I knew you'd get that one, Ace.

What modern author of "The Things They Carried" once worked as an intern at "The Washington Post"?

-Wolfe?

-No.

O'Brien.

-O'Brien.

-Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

-66?

-26.

-26?

-Yep.

Because he opposed secession and refused to sign an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, what man was removed from office, though he had been the first governor of Texas?

-Houston?

[ Murmuring together ] -Houston?

-Houston is right.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that while the number 13 is sometimes considered a bad omen in the West, in China, it's the number 4?

That's because the Chinese word for "4" sounds like the Chinese word for "death."

And as a result, it's never used on aircraft.

I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.

-Okay.

We're ready for this Grabbag round.

But first, let's check these scores.

Robinson Secondary, 340 points.

Landon, 385 points.

Montgomery Blair, 390 points.

It is a close game.

You're only separated by 50 points.

Let's do this, huh?

Because we have a lot of questions to get through in this Grabbag round, where questions are worth 20 points up or down, 30 points for the visual questions.

Here we go.

A volunteer firefighter named Alexander Cartwright is remembered for drawing up the rules for what sport whose Hall of Fame is in Cooperstown?

Montgomery Blair?

-Cooperstown?

-In three... -Baseball?

-Yes!

Baseball is beautiful, too, by the way.

During the 1920s, "the Paris of the East" was a common reference for what largest Chinese port?

Landon.

-Beijing?

-No, Shanghai.

-One of the longest highway tunnels in the world goes under what highest Alpine mountain whose name is French?

-Landon?

-Mont Blanc?

-That is right.

Nicely said.

Magicians and snake charmers vie for attention at the Jemaa el Fna Market in Marrakech in what north -- Landon.

-Morocco?

-Morocco, yes.

In the 1930, the French government censored critical reports about what fortified defense line -- -Blair?

-Maginot?

-Yeah, that's it.

-The sign of what acute angle equals the cosine of 35 degrees?

Landon?

-65?

-65?

-55.

-55!

-Shakespeare's "Macbeth" compares the rugged Russian bear to what Scottish general whose ghost has just crashed Macbeth's dinner party?

Landon?

-Answer?

-Duncan?

-No, Banquo.

-On your screens, for 30 points.

"He was meddling too much in my private life."

Asked why he had stopped seeing his psychiatrist, this was the explanation given by what US playwright who wrote "The Glass Menagerie."

Blair?

-Williams.

-Yeah.

Under the legislation that organized the territory of Hawaii in 1900, the governor had to have what same minimum age as the U.S. President?

-Landon?

-45?

-35.

Sorry.

Choice -- the visual receptors used primarily for night vision are...

Rods, cones -- Blair?

-Rods?

-Rods it is.

Humpty Dumpty might not have become permanently cracked had he fallen from what wall in the title of a Robert Frost -- Blair?

-Mending?

-Mending wall, yes.

On your screens for 30 points.

Here you have a nighttime view of what city, Slovakia's capital.

Landon.

-Bratislava.

-Yes, you got it!

The modern medical profession has adopted as its symbol what staff once associated -- Landon?

-Caduceus?

-Yes.

-Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, didn't follow him to London, but stayed behind with their children in what town?

Blair?

-Stratford-upon-Avon?

-Yeah.

Travelers with a toothache will find a dentist's office at the airport in what largest Brazilian city by population?

-Is it us?

-Yes.

You're the only one who buzzed.

-Sao Paulo?

-Yeah.

-The cathedrals built in the Middle Ages reached their architectural peak in what design style?

Robinson.

-Gothic?

[ Buzzer ] -Yes.

And that's it.

That's the end of the Grabbag round.

Awesome.

The judges are checking the scores.

We will be back in a minute with the final results.

But first, here's someone you should know about.

-I'm David Rubenstein, and I believe giving back is something we all can do.

Students are getting involved in their communities in many important ways.

I've asked them to share with us how they're making a difference.

-Hi, I'm Sydney Silva.

I go to Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, and I volunteer at a memory care where we talk and play games with people in the memory unit.

So this is a really meaningful experience to me, because we get to hear from people and what they've learned throughout their life that's really stuck with them.

One piece of advice that's meant a lot to me is, when you wake up in the morning, if you can't find something to laugh about, then go back to bed.

And I think hearing all these experiences from people who had a really different lifestyle than you is really beneficial, and I think that you really make their day by going and hanging out with them, so it's definitely an experience that I would recommend.

-Like these students, you too can help improve the lives of so many people by volunteering in your town and community.

Please read, learn, get involved and make a difference.

♪♪ -The scores are now official.

First, congratulations to Robinson Secondary, Emma, Thomas, Jack, 360 points!

From the Landon School, Lawrence, Thomas, Bao, 425 points, with a bonus!

And coming back for the semifinals, Montgomery Blair, August, Ace, Jacen, 520 points.

[ Applause ] Let's hear it for our incredible teams and you, our incredible viewers.

So happy you could join us today and match wits with these impressive students.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... Mitre, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

-At Mitre, we're committed to solving some of our biggest challenges in national security, cyber, aviation, and health.

And our dedication to service starts at home.

Working to fight hunger, serving people in need, protecting public health, and supporting our civic institutions.

This is serving the public.

This is Mitre, solving problems for a safer world.

-Alright, join us next time when we've got Richard Montgomery, Oakton, and Langley High Schools competing right here on another "It's Academic" playoff.

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you then.

Bye, everyone.

Come on, let's go!

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪