-Students from Georgetown Day... Sandy Spring Friends, and Bethesda-Chevy Chase meet today on "It's Academic."

[ Applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hello, everybody [laughs] and welcome to the first semifinal match here on "It's Academic," the world's longest-running TV quiz show, produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions and WETA.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following -- George Mason University.

All Together Different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from... -...where we're going... -...and how we think.

-...but the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility... -...to inspire... -...to think fearlessly... -...to protect and to heal the planet.

We know the world will change.

-Together... -...we will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different -- all... -...together... -...different.

♪♪ -Hello.

[ Chuckles ] Everybody is very excited about this semifinal match, because these are all extraordinary students who bring it every time and love learning.

So good for you guys, and I've got some questions for you.

We begin, as we always do, with the Fast Start Round.

Questions are worth 10 points, up or down.

The first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Teams...lucky seven.

All of your answers will be parts of your body whose names have exactly seven letters.

That means seven-letter answers.

Found in your neck is this major "T"-initialed -- B-CC.

-Trachea.

-No, thyroid.

Yes?

-The jugular.

-That's right, B-CC.

-Sandy Spring.

-Trachea.

-Sorry, yes.

Georgetown.

-Uh, deltoid.

-Deltoid is right.

Sandy Spring.

-Medulla?

-Yeah.

Yes, Sandy Spring.

-Humerus?

-Correct.

This major digestive organ is between your esophagus -- -Stomach.

-Yes, GDS.

Yes, B-CC.

Answer -- three, two, one.

-Muscle.

-Eardrum.

Sandy Spring.

-Cranium.

-Cranium is right.

Yes, Sandy Spring.

-Sternum?

-That is correct, and that does it for our Fast Start Round.

Let's take a look at these scores.

Georgetown Day -- 120.

Sandy Spring Friends -- 150.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase -- 90 points.

[ Applause ] All right, we've seen a lot of these students over this season, and we're so happy to have them here again.

But let's do introductions one more time.

Over to Georgetown Day.

Hello, Henry.

-Hello, I'm Henry, I've been on "It's Academic" for, I think, two years now and I'm a junior at GDS.

-All right.

Ben.

-Hi, my name's Ben Hellman.

I'm a senior at GDS.

I've been the captain of this team for three years.

-Awesome.

And Haughton.

-I'm Haughton.

I'm a sophomore at GDS.

And I've been on "It's Academic" for two years now.

-All right, guys, I have questions for you.

They're worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Now, there's a profound thought, but if you study the sentence carefully, you can find the name for what transparent part of the eye?

-Cornea.

-Cornea is right.

If a person takes a stand and will not be moved, you can best refer to them by which of these adjectives?

-Intransigent.

-Correct.

If you combine the chemical symbols for these elements, you can get the last name of what author of The Red Badge of Courage?

-Crane.

-Yeah.

You'll find 20 points if you eliminate one word to make this Shakespeare title correct.

-Union.

-Yes.

Two of these men were rulers in the Americas.

Which one was a Mughal emperor in southern Asia?

-Aurangzeb.

-Yeah.

This is an observation from what Russian author, who went through a lot of history in his novel War and Peace?

-Tolstoy.

-Correct.

Nice job, Georgetown Day.

240 points.

Over to Sandy Spring Friends from Montgomery County.

Hello, Justin.

-Hi, my name is Justin.

This is my second year in "It's Academic," and I'm a junior.

-Awesome.

Diego.

-Hi, I'm Diego.

I'm a senior.

And this is my second year on "It's Academic."

-And it's good to see you.

Hello, Nate.

-Hi.

I'm Nate.

I'm a junior.

And this is my first year on "It's Academic."

-Woo-hoo for that.

Here we go.

Hidden within this phrase is the name of what gas released by decomposing organic matter and represented by the formula, C-H, for...?

-Methane?

-Yeah.

Which of these words most closely describes an idea that's extraneous?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Unrelated?

-Yeah.

Please combine the chemical symbols for these elements to name what wild North American canine?

-Coyote.

Yeah.

Not quite.

Please eliminate one word to make this Julia Alvarez title correct.

-Share.

-Yeah.

John Wilkes Booth shouted which of these Latin phrases to a shocked audience after shooting Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater?

-Sic semper tyrannis.

-You are right.

These cheerful words subtitle a book about what English writer who created Frankenstein's monster?

-Mary Shelley?

-You are right.

And that does it for Sandy Spring Friends.

270 points.

[ Applause ] And now over to Bethesda-Chevy Chase from Montgomery County.

Hiya, Zach.

-Hi, I'm Zach.

I am a junior at B-CC.

And this is my first year on "It's Academic."

-All right.

Micah.

-Hi, I'm Micah.

I'm also a junior at B-CC.

And this is my third year on "It's Academic."

-Nice.

Seth?

-I'm Seth.

I'm a junior as well.

And this is also my third year on the "It's Academic" team.

-All right, team... You can answer this question and get 20 points if you can find, in this phrase, the name of what seed-bearing part of a plant?

-Pistil.

-Yes.

A person who devotes their life to seeking pleasure can best be referred to as which of these?

-Hedonist.

-Correct.

If you combine the symbols of these three elements, you can find the name of what Caribbean island?

-Aruba.

-Yeah.

I don't think so.

Please eliminate one word to make the title of a book by Sue Monk Kidd correct.

-Top.

-Top is right.

Which of these three mythical beauties was chained to a rock and menaced by a sea monster before being rescued by Perseus?

-Andromeda.

-You're right again.

Youth, looking at all of you, has a brilliance of its own.

This observation can be found in the pages of Les Misérables by what French author?

-Hugo.

-Nicely done, Bethesda-Chevy Chase.

210 points.

And that does it for the Mix and Match Round.

We've got Picture Perfect 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.

♪♪ -Are you ready for some pictures?

Because we are.

It's the Picture Perfect Round.

Questions are worth 20 points, up or down, teams.

And once again, of course, first team to buzz in gets to answer.

These shells are known as the wings of what kind of celestial being, usually?

-Angels.

-Yes, Georgetown.

Dancers will recognize the Greek letter psi as part of the name of what Greek Muse of dance?

Anybody?

The answer is Terpsichore.

This drawing was a preliminary study for a large work by what 17th century Flemish artist whose first two names were Peter Paul.

-Rubens.

-Yup, Sandy Springs, correct.

What is the value of this expression?

B-CC?

In three, two, one... -One plus root two?

-No, it's just one.

This newspaper headline from 1945 refers to the signing of the UN Charter, which took place in what west coast city?

-Yeah, Georgetown.

-San Francisco.

-You're right.

Here you see traditional homes near Suva, the capital -- Sandy spring.

-Fiji.

-You're right.

I'd like to go there.

Used in making yellow glass, This is the pentoxide of -- -Vanadium.

-Georgetown, yes.

You're right.

Nice.

This mural was found in what underground chambers?

-Yes, Georgetown.

-Pompeii?

-No, catacombs used by early Christians in Rome for burials and meetings.

And that does it for Picture Perfect.

I love the enthusiasm!

And we haven't even done the scores yet.

Georgetown Day -- 280 points.

Sandy Spring Friends -- 310 points.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase -- 190 points.

And now you can clap.

[ Chuckles ] So, you know, all of these students are very capable of doing things on their own, but it doesn't hurt to have help.

[ Chuckles ] Let's meet the coaches and administrators who helped prepare them for "It's Academic."

We begin with Georgetown Day, home of the Grasshoppers.

Ben.

-All right, so we'd like to thank our alternate Lomahn, the hopper, Evelyn, our associate head of school, Meg Goldner Rabinowitz.

And then, most especially, Sue Ikenberry, who's been coaching the GDS, its academic team, for 38 years.

-[ Chuckles ] Wow, 38 years.

Beautiful.

To Sandy Spring Friends, home of the Wildebeests.

Diego.

-So, behind me is our wonderful coach, Eduardo Polon, who founded the program and has been running it for now 10 years.

And I'd also like to thank our two alternates, Ian Donoghue and Steve Kim.

-All right.

Beautiful.

And finally, Bethesda-Chevy Chase, home of the Barons.

Micah.

-I want to thank our incredibly dedicated coach, Miss Lassar, and our wonderfully supportive vice principal, Miss Blandford, and our teammate Joseph, who is in the audience.

-All right.

Thank you all so much for your support.

All right, guys, it's time to begin the Packet Round.

And in the Packet Round, Georgetown Day will answer questions first.

Sandy Spring Friends will decide which packet they answer questions from.

-Packet two.

-Packet two.

You know how this works, obviously.

Questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

But if you get all the questions right, there is a 25 point bonus.

Yeah.

Carved from wood by Benjamin Banneker, one of his first clocks built in America kept perfect time for what number of years, equal to two score?

-40.

-40 it is.

A popular slogan of the French Revolution linked liberty and equality with what third word referring to brotherhood?

-Fraternity.

-Yeah.

Physicist Glenn Seaborg discovered several elements including what dangerous element with the symbol P-U?

-Plutonium.

-Right.

Here's your science question.

Organisms which derive energy from simple chemical substances are known as which of these?

-Autotrophic?

-Autotrophic.

-Yes.

The theory that dinosaurs became extinct after a huge meteor slammed into Earth gained support when evidence of an enormous crater was found off what southeastern Mexican peninsula?

-Yucatan.

-Yeah.

The first major study of Voodoo in the United States was completed by what woman who also wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God?

-Hurston.

-Yes.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

-Um, seven.

-Seven is right.

Nicely done.

And now a guest questioner.

We have for you, Senator Chuck Schumer from New York State, the Senate minority leader, who is also an "It's Academic" alum.

-Because it was settled in 1849 by captives who had been freed from a slave ship off the African coast, the name of Libreville was given to the capital of what country?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Team?

-Gabon?

-Yeah!

[ Chuckles ] I'm so glad you got that right.

25 point bonus, Georgetown Day.

And now we turn the mantle over to Sandy Spring Friends.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, one or three?

-We'll give them one.

-One.

The ancient Romans made ink by combining soot, wine and secretions from what sea creature with ten arms and tentacles?

-Squids.

-Squids, yeah.

-Squids?

-Yeah.

That was pretty inventive.

Borrowing a phrase from poet Walt Whitman, British author E.M. Forster titled his last novel A Passage To... what major country on the Asian subcontinent?

-India.

-Yeah.

What same civil war prompted Hemingway to write For Whom the Bell Tolls and Picasso to paint Guernica?

-Spanish Civil War.

-Yes.

Here's your science question -- How many valence electrons are there in an atom of chlorine if the atomic number of chlorine is 17?

-[ Whispers ] Seven.

-Seven?

-Yes.

The farthest individual star ever seen, a blue supergiant whose light is now reaching Earth after 9 billion years, has been named for what son of the mythical Daedalus?

-[ Whispers ] Icarus.

-Yes, yeah.

-Icarus.

-Yes.

Former German soldier Erich Maria Remarque drew on his own military experience when writing All Quiet on the Western Front, a novel set during what war?

-World War I.

-Yeah.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X, giving your answer as an integer.

-Nine.

-Nine.

-Correct.

Your guest questioner is Amna Nawaz, PBS news co-anchor.

-The French military was weakened politically following the notorious court case against what wrongfully-convicted Jewish army officer sent to Devil's Island in 1895?

-Alfred Dreyfus.

-Nice!

Sandy Spring friends -- 495 points.

Getting a 25 point bonus.

And now we go over to Bethesda-Chevy Chase with packet number three.

Hours before Paris fell to the Nazis in 1940, a Jewish couple named Hans and Margaret Rey fled the city, carrying with them their manuscript about what playful monkey whose friend is the Man in the Yellow Hat?

-Curious George.

-Yeah.

When asked what was the world's greatest invention, 11% of respondents chose what prehistoric invention that works best on an axle?

-Wheel.

-Yes.

Oklahoma City gained 10,000 residents the first day that what 1862 Congressional Act took effect, allowing settlers to claim land?

-The Homestead Act?

-Correct again.

Science question -- Which of these is the heaviest?

-Beta particle?

No, alpha particle.

In 1574, what English sea dog and privateer became the first Englishman to see the Pacific Ocean, even though he did it from the top of a tree in Panama rather than from the deck of his ship, the Golden Hind?

-Drake.

-Correct.

The publication of a novel titled Mila 18 forced Joseph Heller to change the number in the title of his novel, Catch 18, to what new number?

-22.

-22 it is.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

-One.

-No, it's two.

And now your guest questioner, another "It's Academic" alum, Senator Angus King from Maine.

-Almost 4000 years ago, what Babylonian king developed a law code that included a minimum wage law?

-Hammurabi.

-Hammurabi is right.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase, home of the Barons -- 310 points.

You know what's next.

It's the Grab Bag.

See you in a minute.

-Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln, in his youth, was a champion wrestler who lost only one match in 12 years?

He's listed in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

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

♪♪ -We've got the Sandy Spring cheer, the Sandy Spring Wildebeest, and the Georgetown Day Grasshopper.

Yeah!

All right, You know the Grab Bag is coming up.

But first, we want to ask these students a question.

What's your most memorable experience been?

We start with Georgetown Day and Henry.

-Um, I would say it was one time I got a question about Peter and the Wolf, and I'd been listening to it in the car right here, so...

I don't know.

That was just a cool moment.

-[ Laughs ] That's wonderful and fortuitous, of course.

Ben.

-Yeah, my favorite academic memory was the first game that I played in a studio.

Like, I really gained a lot of confidence in my ability to play the game, and that was great for me.

-That's wonderful.

Hello, Haughton.

-Yeah, I really enjoyed getting a Charles de Gaulle question one time, like, almost instantly in the Picture Perfect Round after recognizing his portrait.

-[ Laughs ] That's good.

And over to Sandy Spring Friends.

Justin.

-I think just being able to make it to the semifinals is really memorable for me.

-Yeah.

That's wonderful.

And Diego.

-I think, yeah, just being able to do what I love with, you know, two of my close friends who are not just my teammates, but close friends in real life.

It's really, really special that I get to bond with these guys over this.

-It's won-- it's beautiful.

And Nate?

-Well, I think it was my first game here.

Me and Diego were talking about Chincoteague right before, and then Chincoteague came up as, like, the third question.

-See, I think this is the universe tapping you on the shoulder.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Zach.

-All right, uh, my favorite memory from this year has got to be leading our team at the B-CC Club Fair and trying to get people of all ages at B-CC to join our wonderful club.

-Did you find a lot of interest?

-Yeah, we found a lot of people.

-Oh, beautiful for that.

And Micah.

-My favorite moment from the school year was in Comparative Government, doing a mock British Parliament and have people yelling in British accents and doing a bunch of speeches.

-[ Laughs ] -I was prime minister.

It was very funny, I have to say.

-I like that.

Seth?

-One of my favorite things that we do on the B-CC team is, every year, we have a staff vs. students game, and that's always a ton of fun, really memorable.

Get to put our knowledge to the test against some of the people who are teaching us that knowledge.

-Well, we're thrilled to hear all of those wonderful experiences you guys have had, and we love any small role we've had in making them.

Okay, guys, Grab Bag Round.

In this round, questions are worth 20 points, up or down.

The first team to buzz in gets to answer.

One theory regarding the missing crew of the Mary Celeste, a ship found drifting in the Atlantic in 1872, was that they were killed by what legendary K-initialed sea monster?

Sandy Spring.

-The Kraken?

-Yes.

In recent years, the Bangladeshi town of Cox's Bazar has become the center of the Rohingya refugees from what country?

-Myanmar?

-Yeah.

To help time his experiments, scientist Christiaan Huygens invented clocks that use what long, swinging -- -Pendulum.

-Georgetown, yes.

On your screens, as this poster indicates, Japan hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics at Sapporo, a city on -- Bethesda-Chevy Chase?

-Hokkaido?

-Yes.

South Carolina was the first of 11 states to join the Confederacy.

The last was what volunteer state?

Sandy Spring?

-Tennessee.

-Yeah.

[ Chuckles ] Choice -- the speed of light and water was first measured by Michelson, Morley or Foucault?

-Foucault.

-Yes, that's right, Georgetown Day.

In 1970, the United States government returned to the Taos Indians about 48,000 acres of tribal land in what -- -New Mexico.

-Yes.

Very good, Georgetown Day.

On your screens -- These were the words of what Lebanese American who wrote the 1923 book The Prophet, which has been translated into over 100 languages?

The answer is Khalil Gibran.

While Alice is in Wonderland, she meets what sort of clumsy, now-extinct bird, whose name -- -Dodo.

-Georgetown day, correct.

Among the unusual items insured by Lloyd's of London was what German Zeppelin?

Bethesda-Chevy Chase.

-Hindenburg.

-Yeah.

Better late than never might have been the attitude of diplomats negotiating what 1648 peace -- -Westphalia.

Westphalia.

-Westphalia is right, Georgetown Day.

On your screens -- this nebula is part of what constellation that includes the stars Rigel and Betelgeuse.

Yes, Sandy Spring.

-Orion?

-You've got it.

Andrew Carnegie had the line, "Let there be light" on what public buildings that he endowed?

B-CC.

-Libraries.

-Correct.

In Greek mythology, after crossing the River Styx into Hades, the souls of the dead drank from what other -- Sandy Spring.

-Lethe.

-Yes, that's right -- Lethe.

Choice -- the apparent oscillatory east west-motion of the moon as viewed from Earth is called aberration, libration, or ionization?

-A-aberration?

-No, it's libration, Georgetown Day.

On your screens -- These were the words of what German-born American Secretary of State who won the 19 -- Yes, B-CC?

-Kissinger.

-Kissinger is right.

Declaring, "She kept the nest that hatched the egg," President Andrew Johnson approved the death sentence of what woman convicted in -- -Mary Surratt.

-Mary Surratt is right, Sandy Spring Friends.

[ Chuckles ] And that does it.

That is the end of our first semifinal game.

We're going to be back with the scores in just one moment, so please stay where you are.

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

Many students are getting involved in their communities in important ways.

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

-Hi, I'm Abigail from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

How I like to help out my community is through running a reading competition for elementary and middle schoolers.

For the past three years, we've been gathering students from all over DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia to participate in a competition where they work together in teams to answer questions about books that they've read.

I think my work is important because part of growing kids into lifelong learners is by growing them into lifelong readers.

And it's been really rewarding to see kids get really excited about reading through the competition.

-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, but I want to say -- you guys, every single one of you, are amazing.

And I, we, are fortunate that all of you have participated in "It's Academic."

So, let's do these scores.

We begin with Bethesda-Chevy Chase, home of the Barons.

Zach, Micah, Seth -- 390 points.

From Georgetown Day School, home of the Grasshoppers, taking their 25 point bonus, Henry, Ben and Haughton -- 545 points.

And, coming back for the championship game, Sandy Spring Friends, home of the Wildebeests -- Justin, Diego, Nate -- 615 points.

Way to go.

Thanks so much for being with us on this first semifinal match, and we are so happy to have you, like us, believe in education and believe in these students.

Remember, everybody... -It's academic!

-Bye-bye.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following -- George Mason University.

All Together Different.

-Call us different.

-Different in where we come from... -...where we're going... -...and how we think.

-...but the same in our dreams for tomorrow.

-Driven by the pull of possibility... -...to inspire... -...to think fearlessly... -...to protect and to heal the planet.

We know the world will change.

-Together... -...we will be the ones to change it.

-Call Mason different -- all... -...together... -...different.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪