>> Join us tonight as Turners Falls High School goes up against Amherst Regional High School.

The historic 65th season of Western New England's award winning high school quiz show continues tonight as schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA 180 years of commitment to the public, schools and colleges our communities deserve.

>> You can see the difference from the first couple of minutes that you walk onto this campus.

You realize that it's not just a campus, it's a community.

It's a family.

>> Good evening and welcome to As Schools Match Wits coming to you from the campus of Westfield State University.

I'm your host, Beth Ward.

Once again high schools from throughout our region are going head to head in qualifying matches to see who can score enough points to finish in the top eight and compete in the season's championship tournament.

In tonight's matchup, we have Turners Falls High School going up against Amherst Regional High School.

Let's meet the team starting with Amherst Regional, coached by Chris Gould and Stefan Bechtold.

>> Hi, I'm Jessie and I'm a senior from Amherst Regional High School.

>> Hi, I'm Eli Perkins and I'm a senior at Amherst Regional.

>> Hi.

My name is Yuri Davidovich and I'm a sophomore at Amherst Regional High School.

>> Hi, I'm Owen Howard, and I'm a senior at Amherst Regional High School.

I'd also like to acknowledge our alternates, Erin Kennedy and Zach Haim.

>> And for Turners Falls, coached by David Smith.

>> Hi.

I'm William Hutchison, and I'm a sophomore at Turners Falls High School.

>> I'm Trevor Lyons, sophomore from Turners Falls High School.

>> Hi, I'm Camden, a sophomore from Turners Falls High School.

>> Hi.

My name is Joe Reese from Turners Falls High School.

And I'd like to thank and acknowledge our alternate, Edward Walsh.

>> As we do each week, we start off the match with the challenge round.

Both teams will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for ten points each.

Good luck to both teams.

Here we go with the first question of the evening.

Topsail, Hatteras, and Roanoke are all islands off the coast of what U.S.

state?

>> Amherst, Virginia.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Turners falls because Amherst got the answer incorrect.

That means you get the chance automatically to answer the question.

>> Yes.

You want me to guess?

>> Time is up.

North Carolina is the right answer.

Let's move on and try this one.

And what system of the human body are metacarpals a part of?

Amherst.

>> Uh, feet and hands.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Right.

Once again, Turners Falls.

Can you answer.

>> The feet and hands?

>> Skeletal system is the right answer.

Spell the US state whose capital city is Frankfort?

Amherst.

>> K e t u c k y Kentucky.

>> Yes, that is correct.

One of Newton's laws of motion states an object will remain at rest or continue in uniform motion in a straight line, unless acted upon by a net external force.

Is it the first, second, or third law of motion?

Amherst.

>> What is first?

>> The first?

Yes, that is correct.

The Battle of Antietam took place during what US war?

>> Amherst, United States Civil War.

>> Repeat, please.

>> United States civil war?

>> Yes, that is correct.

Name the 1954 novel by William Golding that features the characters Ralph Piggy and Jack Merridew.

That would be Lord of the flies.

Let's move on to the next one.

What is the measure of one interior angle in a regular hexagon?

>> Amherst 120 degrees.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

San Jose is to Costa Rica.

As what city is to Nicaragua?

Amherst.

>> Managua?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

On an NCAA football goalpost, the crossbar height measures how many feet above the ground.

Turners falls.

>> 30.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Amherst, can you answer the question?

>> 15.

20.

>> 2010 is the right answer.

We're getting there.

Next question on which planet in our solar system does a single rotation last?

243 Earth days while it's Amherst?

>> Venus?

>> Didn't have to finish that one.

When texting, the letters JK are an abbreviation for what?

Amherst?

>> Just kidding.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

If you owned a divan, spelled Divan, would you sit on it, drive it or play music with it?

>> Amherst, sit on it.

>> It's a couch.

Yes.

If two angles of a triangle are 45 degrees and 62 degrees, what is the measure of the third angle?

Turners falls.

>> What is it?

>> 171107 I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Amherst High School, can you answer the question?

>> 73 degrees?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Moving on.

Which of the following African countries does not border South Africa, Botswana, Kenya or Namibia?

Amherst?

>> Kenya.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Listen to this literary line.

She could no longer borrow from the future to ease her present grief.

It's from the novel The Scarlet Letter by what author?

Author Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Next one name the board game that is a cross-country train adventure in which players collect Turners Falls.

>> Train across the world.

>> That was.

That was a good guess.

However.

Let me finish the question then.

Amherst I'll give you a chance to answer.

It's across Crunchy Train Adventure, in which players collect and play matching train cards to claim railway routes and connecting cities throughout North America.

All right, Amherst, do you know the name.

>> Ticket to Ride?

>> Yes.

That's right.

Listen to the sentence.

A BMI is a measure of how much you should weigh based on your height in that sentence.

What are the letters?

BMI, an abbreviation for Amherst.

>> Body Mass index.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Barely visible to the naked eye, Uranus was telescopically recognized by astronomer William Herschel as the seventh furthest planet from the sun.

Did this happen in the 1700s, 1800s, or 1900s.

>> Amherst 1800s.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Right.

Turners falls, can you answer?

>> 1900s.

>> It was actually 1700.

1781.

Let's try this name.

The capital city of the state of Nebraska.

Turners falls.

>> Lincoln.

>> Yes.

Lincoln is right.

Aside from the number one, what is the only number?

Less than 100.

That is both a perfect square and a perfect cube.

>> Amherst 64.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

And that marks the end of our challenge round.

Let's take a moment now to meet the team from Amherst Regional High School.

>> Hi, I'm Mackenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Amherst High.

What's your favorite school memory so far?

>> I'm gonna have to say my favorite school memory is my third lunch sophomore year with all my friends.

>> Participating in Quizbowl in freshman year.

>> I think my favorite school memory is last year's Senior Prank Day.

>> I'd say playing in the pit in the school musical sophomore year.

>> Let's move on now to the first lightning round of the match.

Each team will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

This is how it works.

Buzz in and answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

However, your team loses five points.

We'll call this one plan B. All of the answers in this round start with the letter B. You have 90s starting right now.

It's a gentle wind.

Breeze.

Breeze is correct.

This consists of pedals, handlebars, and wheels.

Amherst.

>> Bicycle.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Exterior surface on the trunks of trees.

Amherst.

>> Bark.

>> Bark is correct.

Winged insect.

Essential in pollinating flowers.

Turners falls.

>> Bee.

>> The most common igneous rock.

Amherst.

>> Basalt.

>> Yes.

Correct.

The largest land animal in North America, Turners Falls.

Bio bison or buffalo is correct.

Classic film.

Beauty and the what?

Turners falls.

Beast is correct.

Horizontal wooden apparatus used in gymnastics.

Beam.

Beam.

Beam is correct.

The numerical system operating in base two.

Amherst.

>> Binary.

>> Binary is correct.

Teeth located between the molar and canine.

Amherst.

>> Bicuspid.

>> Bicuspid is correct.

Perennial.

Ten year old.

Created by Matt Groening in 1987.

Amherst.

>> Bart Simpson.

>> Second full moon in a calendar month.

Amherst.

>> Blue moon.

>> Blue moon is right.

American Revolution battle site in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Amherst.

>> Bunker Hill.

>> Bunker Hill is right.

An individual that financially supports another party benefactor.

This disease devastated Europe in the 14th century.

Amherst.

>> Black plague.

>> They got that buzzer in time.

Yes, that is correct.

Nice job.

But that bell marks the end of our first lightning round.

We continue now with the capitalization round.

That's where teams get the chance to pick a category and a point value.

They'll need to answer a qualifying question first before they can continue on for points.

Now, if they fail to answer that qualifying question correctly, their opponents will have the opportunity to capitalize and get those points.

At the moment Turners Falls, you are a little bit behind also gives you a great opportunity, as the rules state, to be the first tonight to pick a category and a point value.

What's it going to be?

>> Social studies 30.

>> Social studies for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

We have a video qualifier for this.

So please take a look at your screen.

>> Hi I'm Elizabeth Preston, former executive producer of As Schools Match Wits with your qualifying question.

On December 7th, 1787, Delaware became the first of the original 13 colonies to ratify the US Constitution.

The last of the original 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution did so on May 29th, 1790.

To qualify, name the New England State that was the last colony to ratify the US Constitution.

>> Rhode Island.

>> Yes, Rhode Island is correct.

Let's move on in this category and see what you know about the following three states after Delaware that ratified the US Constitution.

This is for ten points each.

Take a look at your screens first.

This is the current flag of the second state to ratify the Constitution.

It did so on December 12th, 1787.

Name this state.

>> Pennsylvania.

>> This is the current flag of the third state to ratify the Constitution.

It did so on December 18th, 1787.

Name this state.

>> New Jersey?

>> Yes, new Jersey is correct.

Finally, this is the current flag of the fourth state to ratify the Constitution.

It did so on January 2nd, 1788.

Name this state.

>> Georgia.

>> Yes.

Nice job.

Amherst.

Your turn.

First time in the evening.

Do please pick a category and a point value.

>> Can we get math and science for 30?

>> Math and science for 30.

You have picked the Westfield State University entrance exam question, answer the qualifier and all the category questions correctly.

Your team wins an additional ten points.

All right.

Good luck.

Here we go with the question Pythagorean triples can be a quick way to solve a right triangle.

What is the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle with legs of length three and 455, five.

Yes that's right.

More with Pythagorean And triples and right triangles for ten points each.

First, what is the length of the hypotenuse if the legs are five and 12?

>> 13.

>> What is the length of the hypotenuse if the legs are eight and 15, 17, 17?

And finally, what is the length of the missing leg?

If one leg is six and the hypotenuse is ten.

>> Eight.

>> Eight.

Yes.

Nice job you got all the questions answered correctly.

You have one Westfield State University entrance exam question and an additional ten points.

Congratulations to Amherst High School.

Let's move on now with Turner's once again.

Your turn.

>> General knowledge.

>> General knowledge for 30.

Your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screen.

Completed in 1927, the Holland Tunnel is a twin tube tunnel running under the Hudson River.

This tunnel connects what to US states.

>> New York and New Jersey.

>> Yes, that's right.

Let's move on.

More about well-known titles in this category for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

The second tunnel is currently the longest underwater rail tunnel in the world.

It connects the Japanese island of Hokkaido with what other islands?

That's Japan's largest.

>> I don't know its name.

>> Honshu is the right answer.

Let's try this one.

Open in 1994, the Channel Tunnel, often referred to as the Chunnel, is a 31 mile long underwater rail tunnel which connects what two European countries.

>> Great Britain and France.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

And finally, when construction is finished in 2029, the Fehmarn Belt Tunnel will be the longest underwater, underwater rail and road tunnel ever built.

The tunnel will connect Denmark with what other European country?

>> Sweden?

>> Correct answer.

There is actually Germany.

Good job on the other ones, though.

Okay.

Amherst, once again, your turn.

>> World events for 30.

>> World events for 30.

Your qualifying question.

The FBI became an independent service from the Department of Justice in 1935.

What do the initials FBI stand for?

>> Federal Bureau of Investigation?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Moving on in this category, more about the FBI for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

The agency's first director served from March 23rd, 1935, until his death on May 2nd, 1972.

Name him.

>> Allen Dulles.

>> Correct answer is actually J. Edgar Hoover.

Let's try this.

In 1972, J. Edgar Hoover died after almost 37 years as FBI director.

Clarence Kelley was sworn in as the second director of the FBI in July of 1973, after being nominated by what US President in June of 1973.

>> Richard Nixon.

>> Yes, Nixon is right.

And finally, Robert Mueller served as the sixth FBI director starting on September 4th, 2001 and lasting until September 4th, 2013.

Name the sitting U.S.

President on September 4th, 2013.

>> Barack Obama.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

All right.

Turners falls, once again, please pick a category and a point value.

>> Arts and entertainment 30.

>> Arts and entertainment for 30.

Qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens once again.

In this 2025 Disney Animation sequel, detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde find themselves on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who turns their animal metropolis upside down.

Name this movie Zootopia two.

Yes.

That's correct.

More 2025 films for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

The newest entry in the predator franchise is set in the future on a remote planet where a young predator finds an unlikely ally in Tia and embarks on a journey in search of the ultimate adversary.

Name this predator.

Movie.

>> Badlands.

>> Yes.

That's right.

In this 2025 Marvel movie, Sam Wilson the new Captain America finds himself in the middle of an international incident and must discover the motive behind a nefarious global plan.

Name this Captain America movie subtitle.

>> Brave New World.

>> Brave New world is correct.

And finally, let's try this one.

In this 2025 Mission Impossible movie, hunt and the IMF pursue a dangerous AI called the entity to stop it from forever changing the world.

Name this Mission Impossible movie.

>> Subtitle final reckoning.

>> Emerson.

Once again, your turn.

>> Literature for 30.

>> Last of the 30s.

Here we go with your qualifying question.

Name the author who wrote.

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking.

13.

>> George Orwell.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

More about Orwell and his works as we continue in this category for ten points each.

First, name the novel that the qualifying question quote is from 1984.

Yes you're right.

Name the totalitarian state that is the setting for 1984.

>> Oceania.

>> And finally, Oceania's leader, whose slogan states he's watching you, keeps his subjects under constant surveillance to assure ideological purity.

Name this leader.

>> Big brother, big brother.

>> Yes.

Very nice job.

Turners falls once again.

Please pick a category and a point value.

>> Social studies 25.

>> Social studies for 25 to qualify.

Which of the following US states does not border the state of Arkansas?

Is it Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma or Missouri?

>> It's Kentucky.

>> Yes, Kentucky is correct.

Let's use the state of Kentucky as a point of reference.

I'll name another US state.

You tell me if it borders Kentucky or not.

For five points each.

First, does Tennessee border Kentucky?

>> Yes.

>> That is correct.

How about Ohio?

>> Yes.

>> You are correct.

Try North Carolina.

>> No.

>> No is right.

Virginia.

Yes, you are correct.

And finally, how about Missouri?

Yes, you are correct.

Nice job.

>> Can we get math and science for 25?

>> Math and science for 25.

Your qualifying question.

This interval of geologic time, known as an era, spans roughly 250 to 65 million years ago and is also known as the Age of dinosaurs.

This era includes three well-known periods the Triassic, the Jurassic, and Cretaceous.

Name this geologic era.

>> Mesozoic.

>> Yes.

That's right.

Let's move on now in this category.

Sticking with the geologic time scale, each of the following major evolutionary events took place during what geologic period?

These are for five points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

The four of the first four legged amphibians appear.

>> Um, probably the.

>> Quarter.

>> Quaternary.

>> That would be the Devonian period.

Let's try this.

The evolution of humans.

>> Oh, it's the Cambrian.

Let's go.

Just go for it, Jesse.

Go for.

>> Quaternary.

>> Not quite in time.

Quaternary is the right word.

Is the right answer.

The extinction of dinosaurs.

>> Cretaceous.

>> Cretaceous is the right answer.

The first appearance of dinosaurs.

>> Triassic.

>> Yep.

Triassic is right.

And finally, the first appearance of fish.

>> Cambrian.

>> Cambrian is right.

Yes.

And that marks the end of our capitalization round.

Let's take a minute now to meet the team from Turners Falls High School.

>> Hi, I'm Mackenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Turners Falls, would you rather time travel or teleport?

>> I'd rather teleport.

Therefore I could teleport to any sporting event I wanted to.

>> I'd rather time travel.

I feel like it's the only right choice.

>> I'd rather time travel because it's all about timing, and it would also get me what I need to do with the teleportation as well.

>> I'd rather time travel, because then I can go back in time when this whole thing.

Easy, skip.

Clean sweep, ace it.

>> Let's move on now to the final lightning round of our match.

Each team has a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

Buzz in and answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

You know what happens.

Your team loses five points.

Well, we hope you'll be fired up during this round.

Each of these answers contain the letter sequence I somewhere in it, as in the word fired.

You have 90s starting right now to demand as necessary or essential.

>> Turner's inquire.

>> Require is correct.

Steven Spielberg is a well-known one.

Turner's.

Director is the right answer there.

A conflagration in an era of combustible vegetation.

Amherst.

>> Wildfire.

>> Yes.

That's right.

They call balls and strikes in baseball games.

>> Amherst umpire.

>> Umpire is right to motivate one to action.

Amherst.

>> Inspire.

>> Inspire is correct.

Most cars have four of these.

>> Turner's tires.

>> Tires, right.

Insect.

Also known as the Lightning Bug.

Amherst.

>> Firefly.

>> Firefly is right.

A document used to gather personal information.

It.

Turner's questionnaire is the right answer.

Their fictional cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Amherst.

>> Cheshire.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

To give someone a job for pay.

Amherst.

>> Higher.

>> Higher is right.

Count Dracula was one.

Amherst.

>> Vampire.

>> Vampire is correct.

A device that produces a loud warning sound.

Amherst.

>> Sirens.

>> Siren.

Just in time.

Term for formal or decorative clothing.

Turners.

A tire.

A tire is right.

Star Wars movie.

The blank strikes back Amherst.

>> Empire.

>> Empire is right.

European island known as the Emerald Isle.

Amherst.

>> Ireland.

>> Ireland.

Did they get that in time?

Yes they did.

However, that bell marks the end of our last lightning round.

It also marks the end of our match.

We had a great match up tonight for both teams.

This is the first time that any of the team members have been to a schools match wits and competed.

So fantastic job Turners Falls, so proud of and congratulations for a job well done.

I know it's tough to step into this, Amherst especially.

You are on a roll.

So a tough opponent this evening.

So congratulations to you for winning tonight.

Job well done.

To see the season's roster.

And for more information, be sure to log on to our web page at npr.org.

Or you can look for us on Facebook and Instagram.

I'm your host, Beth Ward.

Good night, and be sure to tune in again next time.

As schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA, a diverse union of education workers committed to the public schools and colleges.

Our communities deserve.

>> To excel is to recognize that you want to continue to grow and transform and evolve into a better person.

Westfield State is a fit for me because it's a campus that's big enough to host a community in which I can get to know different kinds of people.

>> The impact I want to leave at Westfield State is to be a leader, to get involved.

Each person has their own excellence.

>> Hold on.

Drop this beat.

Like.

Drop like that.

>> Do you want to see when your school's match is scheduled?

Want to know who the past ASM champions are?

Have a question you'd like to see us ask?

Then log on to the As Schools Match Wits web page at npr.org.

You can see this season's roster, a listing of past ASM champions, and even submit a question of your own, which may be used in a future episode.

It's all just a mouse click away.