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

Coming up, it's the semifinals, with Buckingham Browne & Nichols School... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Somerville High School.

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

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Hi, everybody.

Welcome to the "High School Quiz Show" semifinals.

I'm Joe Hanson, your host.

This competition is getting tighter and tighter.

Today, we head into the semifinals with Buckingham Browne & Nichols from Cambridge, and their neighbor to the north, Somerville High School.

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.

Okay, teams, if you're ready, good luck.

Here we go.

At least five different species of shark give birth to live young in what river that runs through London?

Dean.

>> Thames.

>> HANSON: Thames is right.

What comedy icon plays the title role in the 2024 film "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"?

Dean.

>> Eddie Murphy.

>> HANSON: Eddie Murphy's right.

Able to reach 240 miles per hour when diving, what type of falcon is not only the world's fastest bird, but also the world's fastest animal?

Dean.

>> Peregrine falcon.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

Written by Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton, the 2023 novel "Birnam Wood" is titled after a line from what Shakespeare tragedy?

Jack.

>> "Macbeth."

>> HANSON: "Macbeth" is right.

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

This picture comes courtesy of our friends at GBH News.

A member of the Pueblo of Laguna and a 35th-generation New Mexican, what woman, seen here, became the nation's first Native American secretary of the interior in 2021, under President Biden?

Ella.

>> Deb Haaland.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

After losing heavily to the Labour Party in July 2024, who resigned as Britain's prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party?

Asher.

>> Sunak.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

Rishi Sunak.

Best known for playing Wendy Torrance, Jack Nicholson's tormented wife in "The Shining," what American actress passed away in 2024 at age 75?

(buzzer sounds) Shelley Duvall.

The main supplier of chips needed for A.I.

computing, what tech company surged to become Wall Street's most valuable publicly traded company in June 2024?

Asher.

>> Nvidia.

>> HANSON: Nvidia is right.

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

We have a special video guest.

>> Hey, I'm Kwame Alexander, poet, author, TV producer.

My mission is to change the world one word at a time.

Here's the question: "The court is sizzling.

"My sweat is drizzling.

"Stop all that quivering.

Cuz tonight I'm delivering."

Josh Bell has got more than basketball in his blood.

He's got rhythms and sounds and leaps and bounds, too.

He tells his story in verse in what middle-grade novel, now Disney+ TV show?

>> HANSON: Sam.

>> "The Crossover."

>> HANSON: "The Crossover" is correct.

What dynastic wars for the English throne effectively ended when Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field in 1485?

Ella.

>> The Wars of the Roses.

>> HANSON: The Wars of the Roses is correct.

In 2024, Massachusetts' highest court upheld a law in Brookline that bans the sale of what to anyone born in the 21st century: firearms, tobacco, or ferrets?

You-Yan.

>> Tobacco.

>> HANSON: Tobacco is correct.

As far as I know, you guys can still buy ferrets.

(audience laughter) In John Steinbeck's novel "The Grapes of Wrath," what family moves to California to find work, but instead finds disillusionment and exploitation?

Asher.

>> Smith.

>> HANSON: No.

Somerville, you do have a chance here.

(buzzer sounds) The Joad family.

To protest a new tax on tea, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty threw 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor on December 16 of what year?

Sam.

>> 1773.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Wearing a metallic-silver fringe dress that channeled the late, great Tina Turner, what singer performed her smash hit "Flowers" at the 2024 Grammys?

Calla.

>> Miley Cyrus.

>> HANSON: Miley Cyrus is right.

We're off to a hot start.

Let's take a moment to thank the folks who make this show possible.

Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

>> From "Whoops"... (fire alarm blaring) ...to "Uh-oh" to "Oh, no," Safety Insurance can help you manage life's storms.

Even the indoor kind.

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

♪ ♪ (crowd cheers and applauds) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Welcome back, everybody.

Our score is tied at 60 points apiece.

Let's get back to the game.

What five words follow Elizabeth Barrett Browning's celebrated line "How do I love thee?"

Andreas.

>> Um... "Let me count the ways."

>> HANSON: That is correct.

What Stephen Sondheim musical is titled after a literal English translation of the Mozart serenade "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"?

Sam.

>> "A Little Night Music."

>> HANSON: Correct.

Meteorologists use an anemometer to measure which of the following: wind speed, humidity, or lightning?

You-Yan.

>> Humidity.

>> HANSON: No.

Somerville?

Sam.

>> Lightning.

>> HANSON: No, that is used to measure wind speed.

Winner of an Academy Award for Best International Feature, the historical drama "The Zone of Interest" was filmed near what concentration camp in Poland?

Andreas.

>> Auschwitz.

>> HANSON: Correct.

In 2024, Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira pleaded guilty to leaking highly classified military documents.

What 1917 law prohibits the disclosure of national defense secrets?

You-Yan.

>> The Sedition Act.

>> HANSON: No.

Somerville, you do have a chance here.

Ella.

>> The Espionage Act.

>> HANSON: The Espionage Act is correct.

In the Pixar film "Coco," a young musician named Miguel travels to the magical land of his ancestors during what national holiday in Mexico?

Sam.

>> Día de los Muertos.

>> HANSON: Yes, Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

The Ottoman Turks began to overrun the Balkans in the mid-1300s.

In 1526, what sultan, known as "the Magnificent," destroyed a Hungarian army at the Battle of Mohács?

Andreas.

>> Suleiman.

>> HANSON: Suleiman is correct.

Meaning "anvil" in Latin, what small bone in the middle ear connects the malleus to the stapes?

(buzzer sounds) We're looking for the incus.

Most ballet terms are French because ballet was formalized in France in the 17th century.

But it actually originated in the 15th century in what country: Russia, Spain, or Italy?

Asher.

>> Russia.

>> HANSON: No.

Somerville, you have a chance.

Ella.

>> Italy.

>> HANSON: Italy is correct.

The poem "i carry your heart with me" is by what poet from Cambridge, Massachusetts, who rarely used capital letters in his work and did not object when publishers began lowercasing his name?

Ella.

>> E.E.

Cummings.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

The Pyrenees Mountains separate Spain from what country with a population of approximately 68 million?

Andreas.

>> France.

>> HANSON: France is correct.

Known for her rivalry with Nancy Kerrigan, in 1991, what talented but troubled figure skater became the first American woman to land a complete triple axel during a competition?

Ella.

>> Tonya Harding.

>> HANSON: Tonya Harding is right.

Literally meaning "double-walker," what German word refers to a ghostly double or counterpart to a living person?

Ella.

>> Doppelgänger.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

In a July 1988 Gallup poll, what Democratic presidential nominee had a seemingly insurmountable 17-point lead over his Republican opponent, George H.W.

Bush?

Ella.

>> Dukakis.

>> HANSON: Michael Dukakis is right.

One of America's busiest highways, what road extending from Florida to Maine passes through more states than any other interstate highway?

Sam.

>> I-95.

>> HANSON: I-95 is correct.

(bell ringing) That is the end of the round.

The score is BB&N with 100 points.

Somerville in the lead with 150 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Last week, Lexington beat Saint John's High School to move on to our other semifinal match.

In today's match, Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Somerville are both looking to make it to the finals.

Now, the head-to-head round is next, but first, we're going to take a minute to get to know our players.

I've got a question for BB&N.

What fab four, supergroup, or heroic team in any genre do you think you best embody?

And who would each of you represent?

>> So we decided to go with the four main characters of "South Park."

So I'm Stan, because I'm, like, the leader, I'm just a normal guy.

I'm, like, chill.

>> HANSON: Okay.

You-Yan, how about you?

>> I'd be Kyle.

Because according to the "South Park" official website, Kyle is the smart one of the group.

>> HANSON: Okay.

(audience laughter) >> In addition, I also get really annoyed by Asher's jokes.

(audience laughter) >> HANSON: Dean.

>> I'm Kenny, 'cause the first two weeks, I didn't talk, and I like a good hoodie.

>> HANSON: Okay.

Hopefully you don't end up like Kenny in every episode.

Asher?

>> That leaves me, I'm Cartman, 'cause I...

Regardless of what You-Yan said, I can always be trusted to give the team a good laugh when we need it.

>> HANSON: Okay.

Hopefully, not quite as controversial as that guy.

(audience laughter) Also on the BB&N team, we have mascot Bucky, alternate Vartan, and coaches Chip Rollinson and Sam Crihfield.

(cheers and applause) Okay, let's move over to Somerville.

What fab four, supergroup, or heroic team do you best embody?

>> We thought we would go with the most formidable superteam of all, the Muppets.

(audience laughter) So me, personally, I'll never reach her full level of divaness, but I think I aspire to be as confident and as independent as Miss Piggy.

>> HANSON: I like that.

(audience chuckles) Ella, how about you, who do you represent on the Muppets squad?

>> I'd say I represent Kermit, because, you know, I always try to go with the flow and stay calm.

>> HANSON: It's not easy being green, is it?

(audience laughter) >> No.

>> HANSON: Jack, how about you?

>> I would be Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, because I like to invent things.

(audience laughter) >> HANSON: All right.

Sam?

>> I would be Fozzie Bear, because I really do like a bad joke.

And for example, we are from Somerville High School, but during the summer, we're on vacation, so we should really be called Autumnville High School.

Waka waka waka.

>> HANSON: All right.

That was a good one.

(laughter, applause) Rounding out the Somerville team are alternates Oliver and Nate and coach Ted Blake.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) All right, it's time to go head-to-head.

In this round, correct answers add ten points to the team total and wrong answers do result in a ten-point deduction.

Okay, the clock's set at 90 seconds.

Let's have a little friendly handshake before we begin.

Good luck, teams.

Here we go.

In his namesake theme song, what fictional character lives in a pineapple under the... >> SpongeBob.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who was elected U.S. president with the optimistic campaign slogan "Yes, we can"?

>> Obama.

>> HANSON: Yes.

About 70% of the world's fresh water is contained in an ice sheet in which continent?

>> Antarctica.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Also known as nerve cells, what are the longest... >> Neurons.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In the children's book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," what will the mouse next ask for... >> Milk.

>> HANSON: Yes.

About half of the U.S. Treasury's stored gold is kept at what Army installation... >> Fort Knox.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 1607, what Powhatan Indian princess befriended Jamestown colony... >> Pocahontas.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Shiite and Sunni are the two main... >> Muslim.

>> HANSON: Yes.

"My love is like a red, red rose" is a well-known poem by what national poet of Scotland?

(buzzer sounds) Robert Burns.

CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research, is headquartered in what Swiss city?

>> Zurich.

>> HANSON: No, Geneva.

What Leo Tolstoy novel culminates with Napoleon's invasion of Russia?

(buzzer sounds) "War and Peace."

What iconic bridge is painted in a color called International Orange?

>> The Golden Gate.

>> HANSON: Yes.

A daily public ritual called the Two Minutes of Hate is featured in what... >> "1984."

>> HANSON: Yes.

Patagonia is a region shared by Chile and what... >> Argentina.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Named after a British geneticist, what type of square, or grid, is used to predict... >> Punnett.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who was Bill Clinton's vice president?

>> Uh, Gore.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What 19th-century... (bell ringing) That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at our scores.

BB&N has 190 points.

Somerville with 180 points.

Let's give it up for both teams.

We've got a good one here.

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

Today's categories are: I Pity the Fool!, Stockholm Syndrome, Pedal to the Metal, Nights on Broadway, We the People, and Three's Company.

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.

Players are able to confer.

BB&N, who's your spokesperson?

Andreas.

Somerville, how about you?

Ella.

All right.

Somerville, you have a little bit of ground to make up on the scoreboard.

First category goes to you.

>> We'll take Nights on Broadway.

>> HANSON: Nights on Broadway.

These are questions about Broadway musicals.

For ten points: in 2024, what "Harry Potter" star won his first Tony Award for his lead role in the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along"?

>> Daniel Radcliffe.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: set in Paris during the 1832 June Rebellion, what musical opened on Broadway in 1987 and ran for more than 6,500 performances before finally closing in 2003?

>> "Les Mis."

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 20 points: "Tulsa '67" and "Stay Gold" are songs from what new Tony-winning musical based on a classic coming-of-age novel?

>> "The Outsiders."

>> HANSON: That's correct.

For 25 points in Nights on Broadway: based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel and its 1985 film adaptation, what Broadway musical features the songs "That Fine Mister" and "Shug Avery Comin' to Town"?

>> (whispers): Yeah.

>> "The Color Purple."

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 30 points: "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" and "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top" are songs from what musical that marked the first collaboration of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein?

>> "Oklahoma!"

>> HANSON: "Oklahoma!"

is correct.

BB&N, category goes to you.

>> We're gonna go with We the People.

>> HANSON: We the People.

Questions in this category are about civics.

For ten points: the preamble to the Constitution begins, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect" what?

>> (whispers): Union.

>> Union.

>> HANSON: Union is correct.

For 15 points: the Constitution requires both the president and vice president to be at least how many years old?

>> 35.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 20 points: in 1955, Rosa Parks sparked the U.S. civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a public bus in what Alabama city?

>> Montgomery.

>> HANSON: Montgomery is correct.

For 25 points in We the People: name the first president who was limited to two terms, in accordance with the 22nd Amendment.

>> (whispers): After FDR, I think it was.

>> (whispers): Or after Truman.

>> Truman.

>> HANSON: No, Dwight D. Eisenhower.

For 30 points: the United States offered citizenship to about 100,000 Mexicans under the terms of what treaty that ended the Mexican-American War?

>> (whispers): Guadalupe Hidalgo.

>> Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Somerville, your category.

>> We'll take Three's Company.

>> HANSON: Three's Company.

All answers in this category are three-word phrases.

For ten points: "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me."

Mr. Darcy makes this cold comment about Elizabeth Bennett in what Jane Austen novel?

>> "Pride and Prejudice."

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: considered one of the first psychological novels, what classic work by Dostoyevsky is about an impoverished former student who hatches a murderous plot to kill a pawnbroker?

>> "Crime and Punishment."

>> HANSON: That's correct.

For 20 points: at the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, George H.W.

Bush famously declared, "Read my lips," followed by what three words?

>> (whispers): No more taxes?

>> (whispers): Yeah.

>> No more taxes.

>> HANSON: No, it is "no new taxes."

Very close.

For 25 points in Three's Company: Bartholomew Roberts, an actual pirate from the 1700s, was the inspiration for the fictional Dread Pirate Roberts in what 1987 fantasy adventure film directed by Rob Reiner?

>> "The Princess Bride."

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 30 points: in the final act of "Hamlet," what three words does Hamlet first say after picking up the skull of Yorick, court jester to the former king?

>> (whispers): I think it's, "Alas, poor Yorick."

>> (whispers): Just pass.

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: We're looking for, "Alas, poor Yorick."

I knew him.

(audience laughter) BB&N, final category to you.

>> We're gonna go with Stockholm Syndrome.

>> HANSON: Stockholm Syndrome.

Questions in this category are about Sweden.

For ten points: what Swedish band won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "Waterloo"?

>> ABBA.

>> HANSON: ABBA is correct.

For 15 points: the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, benefactor of the Nobel Prize, made his fortune by inventing what in 1867?

>> (whispers): Dynamite.

>> Dynamite.

>> HANSON: Dynamite is correct.

For 20 points: the Öresund Link, a ten-mile bridge and tunnel, connects Sweden to what country?

>> Denmark.

>> HANSON: Denmark is right.

For 25 points in Stockholm Syndrome: from 1978 to 1981, John McEnroe met 14 times against what Swedish tennis star in an epic rivalry dubbed "fire and ice" because of their contrasting temperaments?

>> Björn Borg.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

And for 30 points: what Swedish star of "Casablanca" and "Gaslight" was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1940s?

>> (whispers): Pass.

>> (whispers): Pass?

>> (whispers): Pass.

>> (whispers): Pass-- pass.

>> We'll pass.

>> HANSON: Ingrid Bergman is the answer there.

(bell ringing) That is the end of the category round.

And our score is tied.

Buckingham Browne & Nichols and Somerville both have 310 points going into our final round.

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.

Okay, teams, it's been a fantastic match.

Good luck.

Here we go.

Built in the 1720s in rococo style, the Spanish Steps is a monumental public stairway in what Italian city?

Ella.

>> Rome.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What is the heaviest internal organ in the human body?

Andreas.

>> Skin.

>> HANSON: No, the liver.

For more than 30 years, what country consistently had the largest economy in Europe?

Dean.

>> Germany.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Who won a Pulitzer for her 1931 novel set in China, "The Good Earth"?

Ella.

>> Pearl Buck.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Since the 2008 Olympics, what American fashion designer has been the official outfitter for Team U.S.A.?

Ella.

>> Ralph Lauren.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 1965, labor leaders Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta led a successful strike against grape growers in which U.S. state?

Sam.

>> California.

>> HANSON: Yes.

First used by U.S. law enforcement in 1975, the K-15 bulletproof vest is made from... Andreas.

>> Kevlar.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The United Nations was established on October 24 of what year?

Dean.

>> 1946.

>> HANSON: No, 1945.

Sylvia Plath and Truman Capote wrote short stories for what now-defunct fashion magazine that means "miss" is French?

Ella.

>> "Mademoiselle."

>> HANSON: Yes.

What "NBC Nightly News" anchor is the first Black journalist to solo-anchor... You-Yan.

>> Lester Holt.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In addition to Paraguay, what other country in South America is landlocked?

Andreas.

>> Bolivia.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which branch of mathematics is named after an Arabic term meaning "reunion of broken"... Dean.

>> Algebra.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What Japanese admiral conceived of the surprise attack on the U.S.

Naval... Andreas.

>> Yamamoto.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What French mathematician and philosopher is remembered for his statement... You-Yan.

>> Descartes.

>> HANSON: Yes.

More than 50 languages, including Russian, are written using what alphabet?

Andreas.

>> Cyrillic.

>> HANSON: Yes.

(bell ringing) (cheers and applause) The winning team this week is BB&N with a final score of 430 points.

Somerville finishes with 410 points.

An absolutely incredible match.

Congratulations to both teams.

BB&N now moves on to the finals, looking to become the next "High School Quiz Show" champion.

Join us next week for our other semifinal match between two past champions, Acton-Boxborough and Lexington.

You won't want to miss it.

That's right here on the next "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.

>> It inspires us.

>> To think in new ways.

>> To challenge convention.

>> We are committed... >> ...to the relentless pursuit of progress.

>> Be revolutionary.

♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪