>> JOE HANSON: Coming up on High School Quiz Show, it's the semifinals, with the Mansfield Hornets... (cheers and applause) ...taking on the Buckingham Browne & Nichols Knights.

(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, Lexington defeated Somerville to earn the last spot in the semifinals.

In a rematch of last year's championship round, we welcome back Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Mansfield High School for our first semifinal match.

On the BB&N team, we have: Bradford, Henry, Ana Chrysa, and Aaron, with mascot Bucky, alternates Andreas and Leo, and coaches Chip Rollinson and Sam Crihfield.

(cheers and applause) Competing for Mansfield, we have: Dhruv, Vishal, Rishi, and Soham, with mascot Sting, alternates Josh and Jacob, and coach Ken Barrett.

(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 incorrect answers, and players may confer before buzzing in.

So, teams, if you're ready, here we go.

In the summer of 2023, temperatures reached 110 degrees or more for 31 days in a row in what capital city of Arizona?

Ana Chrysa.

>> Phoenix.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

The relationship between mass and energy is expressed as what famous equation in Einstein's theory of special relativity?

Vishal.

>> E = mc squared.

>> HANSON: Correct.

First portrayed in a live-action film by Halle Berry, what X-Men mutant who can control the weather is the first major female comic book hero of African descent?

Vishal.

>> Storm.

>> HANSON: Storm is correct.

What famous children's book by Margaret Wise Brown begins, "In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon"?

Henry.

>> Goodnight Moon.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Take a look at your screens.

Pictured here is a woodblock print nicknamed The Great Wave.

One of the most reproduced works in the history of art, this iconic image was created in 1831 by what Japanese artist, recently featured in an exhibit at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts?

Rishi.

>> Hokusai.

>> HANSON: Hokusai is correct.

In 2023, one year after being fired as head coach of the Boston Bruins, who won a Stanley Cup as head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights?

Henry.

>> Bruce Cassidy.

>> HANSON: Bruce Cassidy is correct.

The term Mesopotamia means "between the rivers," specifically the Tigris and what other river?

Dhruv.

>> Euphrates.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In 2022, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Boston to award their environmental Earthshot Prize.

It's modeled after whose famous call for a "moonshot" to put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s?

Vishal.

>> Kennedy.

>> HANSON: John F. Kennedy is correct.

Atomic number 22 refers to what metal commonly used in hip and knee replacements because it's highly resistant to corrosion?

Rishi.

>> Nickel.

>> HANSON: No.

BB&N?

Bradford.

>> Chromium.

>> HANSON: No, we're looking for titanium.

Take a look at your screens.

We have a special guest reading the next question.

>> Hi, I'm Ernie Boch, Jr. And the average gas-powered car has about 30,000 parts.

What do cars use to ignite the fuel with energy from the battery?

Is it the spark plug, the radiator, or the gaskets?

>> HANSON: Soham.

>> A, the spark plug.

>> HANSON: Spark plug is correct.

In 2023, what author of Eat, Pray, Love postponed publication of her new book, The Snow Forest, after Ukrainian readers criticized the story's Russian setting?

(buzzer sounds) Elizabeth Gilbert is the author.

Which of the following countries in Africa is located the farthest east: A, Somalia; B, Libya; or C, Angola?

Dhruv.

>> Somalia.

>> HANSON: Somalia is correct.

The Battle of the Somme has become a metaphor for futile and indiscriminate slaughter.

The British lost 60,000 men and gained not a single inch of territory on the first day of the battle, which took place in 1916 in what country?

Bradford.

>> France.

>> HANSON: France is correct.

In 1859, what militant abolitionist became the first person to be executed for treason in the United States for his role in the raid at Harpers Ferry?

Soham.

>> John Brown.

>> HANSON: John Brown is correct.

One of the brightest stars in the night sky, Betelgeuse is a red supergiant in what constellation named after a hunter from Greek mythology?

Aaron.

>> Alpha Centauri.

>> HANSON: No.

Mansfield?

Vishal.

>> Orion.

>> HANSON: Orion is correct.

Often referred to as the "Stephen King of children's literature," what American author has sold over 350 million copies of his horror series Goosebumps?

Vishal.

>> R.L.

Stine.

>> HANSON: R.L.

Stine is correct.

Best known for his tropical rock music including "Margaritaville" and for his legions of fans known as "Parrotheads," what American singer-songwriter passed away in 2023 at age 76?

Henry.

>> Jimmy Buffett.

>> HANSON: Jimmy Buffett is correct.

Which of the following words is another term for chutzpah?

A, nerve; B, loyalty; or C, stupidity.

Soham.

>> B, loyalty.

>> HANSON: No.

BB&N?

Henry.

>> A, nerve.

>> HANSON: Nerve, that is correct.

Widely considered to be the best pro basketball prospect since LeBron James, 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama was the number-one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

He's seven-foot-four and hails from what country?

Dhruv.

>> France.

>> HANSON: France is correct.

Preventable with the MMR vaccine, what contagious disease that causes swollen glands, fever, and body aches tends to thrive in crowded environments like dorms or locker rooms?

Vishal.

>> Rubella.

>> HANSON: No.

BB&N?

Henry.

>> COVID-19.

>> HANSON: No, the answer is mumps.

In May 2023, what U.S. treasury secretary urged the speaker of the House to act as "as soon as possible" to raise the debt ceiling?

Aaron.

>> Yellen.

>> HANSON: Janet Yellen is correct.

One half of the pop duo Wham!, what British singer known for "Careless Whisper" and "Last Christmas" was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023?

Soham.

>> George Michael.

>> HANSON: George Michael is correct.

In 2013, the C.I.A.

acknowledged for the first time the existence of the mysterious Area 51, a top secret Cold War test site in what U.S. state?

Soham.

>> Nevada.

>> HANSON: Nevada is correct.

Which of the following is an example of a polar molecule?

A, methane; B, water; C, helium.

Ana Chrysa.

>> Water.

>> HANSON: Water is correct.

Germany used Blitzkrieg warfare when it invaded what country on September 1, 1939?

Aaron.

>> Poland.

>> HANSON: Poland is correct.

What British neurologist wrote about the mysteries of the brain in his bestselling books Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat?

Henry.

>> Smith.

>> HANSON: No.

Mansfield, opportunity?

Vishal?

>> Williamson.

(chuckles) >> HANSON: No, we're looking for Oliver Sacks.

There might be neuroscientists named that, though.

(laughter) Robert Redford started what annual event in Park City, Utah, that's the largest independent film festival in the United States?

Rishi.

>> Sundance.

>> HANSON: Sundance is correct.

From 1944 to 1954, what Mexican artist kept an illustrated diary that reveals many insights into her stormy relationship with her husband, the artist Diego Rivera?

Aaron.

>> Kahlo.

>> HANSON: Frida Kahlo is correct.

In Henry Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas, Dido is the mythical queen of what ancient city?

Bradford.

>> Carthage.

>> HANSON: Carthage is correct.

Henry VII, the first Tudor king, claimed the throne by defeating what Yorkist king at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485?

Aaron.

>> Richard III.

>> HANSON: Richard III is correct.

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

And the score is Buckingham Browne & Nichols 120 points, and Mansfield 140 points.

This is a close one-- let's hear it for both teams.

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

BB&N, what fab four supergroup, or heroic team in any genre, do you think you best emulate, who would each of you represent in the group, and why?

>> I think we have to go with the original Fab Four, The Beatles.

One of our coaches, Mr. Rollinson, is the biggest Beatles fan out there.

So, it only seems fitting.

And I think I'd be Paul, because, like Paul switched from guitar to bass, I switched from debate to quiz bowl.

>> HANSON: All right.

Henry?

>> I think I would be John, because sometimes I play the guitar and sometimes I play the fool.

(laughter) >> HANSON: I like that.

No comment.

Ana Chrysa?

>> I think I'd be George, because I keep a journal.

Plus, we have similar eyebrows.

>> HANSON: All right.

Aaron, I mean, by process of elimination... >> And I think I'd be Ringo, because, peace and love.

>> HANSON (chuckles): Love it.

Mansfield, how about you guys?

>> Uh, well, Joe, we're going to do the four presidents on Mount Rushmore.

And I'll be Teddy Roosevelt, because he did jujitsu and I used to do jujitsu.

>> HANSON: I did not know that.

And I won't cross you, okay.

(chuckles) Vishal?

(laughter) >> Um, I'd be Lincoln.

Because although he was a cool president, I think he had a cooler-looking beard and I'm trying to get that in the future.

>> HANSON: Yeah.

I can see that coming.

All right.

Rishi?

>> I'd be Thomas Jefferson, because he invented the spinny chair, and I'm a big fan, so... >> HANSON: And they're fun.

I love those, yeah.

Soham.

>> I'd be Washington, because I've also never chopped down a cherry tree.

>> HANSON (chuckles): Who really has, though, right?

All right, teams, it's 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.

Shake hands.

Okay.

Here we go.

Which New England state is the nation's top producer of lobster?

>> Maine.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which day of the week is named after the Norse goddess of marriage?

>> Uh... Thursday?

>> HANSON: Friday is the answer we're looking for.

The city of Baltimore, Maryland, is on the Patapsco River, which runs into which large bay?

>> Chesapeake.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The Lotus Sutra is one of the central texts of what major world religion?

>> Hinduism.

>> HANSON: No, Buddhism.

What 1783 peace treaty ended the... >> Paris.

>> HANSON: The Treaty of Paris, yes.

Before he was president, Ronald Reagan served two terms as the governor... >> California.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Based on the novel of the same name, what German-language anti-war film won four Academy Awards in 2023?

>> All Quiet on the Western Front.

>> HANSON: Yes.

There are over 2,000 mosques in what capital city of Syria?

(buzzer sounds) Damascus.

In 1980, renowned statistician Bill James coined the term "sabermetrics"... >> Baseball.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who composed the music, wrote the lyrics, and starred in the Tony-winning musical Hamilton?

>> Lin-Manuel Miranda.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In June 2023, President Joe Biden hosted at the White House what prime minister of India?

>> Narendra Modi.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt between Jupiter... >> Mars.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What Greek hero is best known for leading the Argonauts on a... >> Jason.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What river forms most of the natural border between Oregon and Washington?

>> Snake.

>> HANSON: No, the Columbia River.

Atomic number two refers to what chemical element?

>> Helium.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who wrote the historical novels Rob Roy and Ivanhoe?

(bell ringing) Looking for Sir Walter Scott there.

That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

BB&N has 190 points and Mansfield has 150 points, with 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: It Could Be Verse, I Scream, You Scream, Jump in the Line, Islands in the Stream, It's a Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad, Vlad World, and The Arrest Is History.

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-- the other team must answer.

Players, you are able to confer.

BB&N, who's your spokesperson?

Bradford.

Mansfield?

Vishal.

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

First category goes to you.

>> We're going to choose Islands in the Stream.

>> HANSON: Islands in the Stream.

Questions in this category are about islands.

For ten points: from 1892 until 1954, what island off the southern tip of Manhattan was the nation's busiest immigration station?

(all whispering) >> (aloud): Our answer is Ellis Island.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: what is the largest island in the Mediterranean by geographic area?

>> (whispering): It's Sicily, it's Sicily.

>> (whispering): Okay.

(aloud): Our answer is Sicily.

>> HANSON: Sicily is correct.

For 20 points: though it takes place in a fictional setting called Amity Island, the 1975 film Jaws was shot mostly on location on what Massachusetts island?

>> (whispering): Martha's Vineyard.

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

(all whispering) >> (aloud): Our answer is Martha's Vineyard.

>> HANSON: Martha's Vineyard is correct.

For 25 points: for at least 35,000 years, Aboriginal people have lived on what island state of Australia?

>> (whispering): Tasmania.

>> (whispering): Yeah, okay.

(aloud): Our answer is Tasmania.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points: in 1898, after the Spanish-American War, Spain ceded Puerto Rico and Guam to the United States.

Spain also sold what island nation to the United States for $20 million?

(all whispering) >> HANSON: We'll need an answer.

>> (aloud): Uh, we're going to pass.

>> HANSON: The answer is the Philippines.

BB&N, your first category.

>> Can we please have The Arrest Is History?

>> HANSON: The Arrest Is History.

Questions in this category are about arrests.

For ten points: on December 1, 1955, who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama?

>> Parks.

>> HANSON: Rosa Parks is correct.

For 15 points: who was arrested, put on trial, and fined $100 for attempting to vote in the 1872 U.S. presidential election?

>> Anthony.

>> HANSON: Susan B. Anthony is correct.

For 20 points: in 1925, what substitute high school teacher was arrested in Dayton, Tennessee, for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution?

>> Uh, Scopes.

>> HANSON: John Scopes is correct.

For 25 points in The Arrest is History: Donald Trump is the first president, former or current, to be criminally indicted, but he's not the first to be arrested.

In 1872, what sitting president was arrested for speeding in his horse-drawn carriage?

>> (softly): '72 would be Grant.

>> Sure, it is.

>> (softly): It would be.

(aloud): Uh, Grant.

>> HANSON: Ulysses S. Grant is correct.

For 30 points: played by Justin Theroux in the TV series White House Plumbers, what Republican operative was arrested and convicted for his role as the mastermind of the 1972 Watergate burglary that brought down Richard Nixon?

(all whispering) >> There's a, there's a bunch of different plumbers.

>> (softly): Yeah.

>> (aloud): Uh, we'd like to toss this question.

>> HANSON: Mansfield, it goes to you.

(all whispering) >> Uh, we have no answer.

>> HANSON: We have to have some answer.

>> Uh, Ellsberg.

(laughter) >> HANSON: G. Gordon Liddy is the answer we're looking for there.

Mansfield, the next category is yours.

>> We're going to do Jump in the Line.

>> HANSON: Jump in the Line.

Questions in this category are about linear algebra.

For ten points: solve for x if 2x + 3 = 15.

>> (whispering): Six.

>> (chuckles) >> (whispering): It's six, right?

>> (aloud): Our answer is six.

>> HANSON: Six is correct.

For 15 points: related to the Latin word for "mother," what term that refers to a rectangular array of numbers was introduced in 1848 by English mathematician James Joseph Sylvester?

>> (whispering): I think it's matrix, right?

(aloud): Our answer is matrix.

>> HANSON: Matrix is correct.

For 20 points: calculate the determinant of a 2-by-2 matrix where the top row is 5 and 5 and the bottom row is 2 and 4.

>> (whispering): Ten.

Did you get ten?

>> (whispering): Yeah.

>> (whispering): Ten.

>> (aloud): Our answer is ten.

>> HANSON: Ten is correct.

For 25 points in Jump in the Line: the factorial function involves multiplying a sequence of descending natural numbers.

What is the result of 4 factorial?

>> (whispering): 24.

>> (whispering): Yes, 24.

(all whispering) >> (aloud): Our answer is 24.

>> HANSON: 24 is correct.

For 30 points: name the type of square matrix in which all the elements of the principal diagonal are ones and all other elements are zeros.

>> (whispering): It's the identity matrix.

>> Identity, right?

>> Identity matrix.

>> (aloud): Our answer is identity matrix.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

BB&N, final category to you.

>> Uh, can we please have It Could Be Verse?

(softly): Please tell me it's poetry.

>> HANSON: It Could Be Verse.

Questions in this category are about poetry.

(laughter) For ten points: who wrote the 1863 poetry collection Tales of a Wayside Inn, which includes the poem "Paul Revere's Ride"?

>> Longfellow.

>> Uh, Longfellow.

>> HANSON: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is correct.

For 15 points: "Because I could not stop for Death" is a famous work by what leading poet of the 19th century who rarely left her home in Amherst, Massachusetts?

>> Dickinson.

>> HANSON: Emily Dickinson is correct.

For 20 points: in the final season of Breaking Bad, Walter White loses his family, his fortune, and his empire in a pivotal episode called "Ozymandias."

The title comes from a sonnet by what English Romantic poet?

>> Shelley.

>> HANSON: Percy Bysshe Shelley is correct.

For 25 points in It Could Be Verse: "We Real Cool" is a poem by what woman who was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize?

>> Brooks.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

Gwendolyn Brooks.

And for 30 points: written in the style of a note left on a kitchen table, William Carlos Williams' 28-word poem "This Is Just to Say" is an apology for stealing what kind of fruit from the icebox?

>> Plums.

They're plums, right?

>> Yeah, they're plums.

>> Uh, plums.

>> HANSON: Plums is correct.

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

The score is BB&N 360 points, and Mansfield has 290 points.

It's still a close game.

Let's hear it for both teams.

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

And as promised, this rematch of last year's championship is proving to be a close game.

In this 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 modern Olympic Games were first held in 189... Bradford.

>> Athens.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What fictional paper company is featured in the... Bradford.

>> Dunder Mifflin.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who was the first president to appoint a woman to the U.S. Supreme... Bradford.

>> Reagan.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In June 2023, what political activist and author of Race Matters announced his run for president as a candidate for the People's Party?

Bradford.

>> West.

>> HANSON: Dr. Cornel West is correct.

Who wrote about Chinese American women and the immigrant experience... Bradford.

>> Tan.

>> HANSON: Amy Tan, yes.

What structural metal used for nuclear reactors has the chemical symbol Zr?

Henry.

>> Zirconium.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What 1967 animated feature is set in India and was the last film... Aaron.

>> The Jungle Book.

>> HANSON: Yes, The Jungle Book is correct.

What country is home to the Dardanelles, a narrow... Bradford.

>> Turkey.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In both the NFL and college football, each team gets how many timeouts... Bradford.

>> Three.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 2011, what notorious Boston gangster and FBI... Bradford.

>> Bulger.

>> HANSON: Whitey Bulger, yes.

How many U.S. presidents have been impeached?

Vishal?

>> Two.

>> HANSON: No, three.

What is the longest river in Asia?

Bradford.

>> Uh, Mekong?

>> HANSON: The Yangtze.

What Stranger Things star originated the role of Veronica Sawyer... Aaron.

>> Sweeney?

>> HANSON: No, Winona Ryder.

What Roman numeral represents the number 50?

Bradford?

>> L. >> HANSON: Yes.

In 1821, what American pioneer brought the first settlers from the United States to Texas?

Henry.

>> Stephen F. Austin.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What French Impressionist is well-known for his water lilies?

(bell ringing) Rishi.

>> Monet.

>> HANSON: Monet is correct.

That's the end of our round.

And the winning team this week, with 560 points, is BB&N.

Mansfield finishes with 290 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

BB&N now moves on to the finals to compete for the title of Massachusetts state champion.

Join us next week for the semifinal match between Acton-Boxborough and Lexington, 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) ♪ ♪