-Students from Walter Johnson... Quince Orchard... and Alexandria City meet today on "It's Academic."

♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Hello, everybody.

I'm Hillary Howard.

Welcome to "It's Academic," the world's longest running TV quiz show, produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions and WETA.

[ Applause ] -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.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -Hey, we are so glad you have joined us today for the seventh playoff game of the season, and we're excited to get this started.

Of course, we begin with the Fast Start, as we always do.

Questions are worth 10 points up or down.

The first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Teams... "S" is a popular letter and these questions all have answers that end in the letter "S." That's "S" as in sass.

Coco Gauff and Rafael Nadal are -- Walter Johnson.

-Tennis.

-Yeah.

This ancient Chinese counting device involves sliding -- Quince Orchard.

-Abacus.

-Correct.

This egg-laying, duck-billed mammal is native to -- Alexandria.

-Platypus.

-Platypus it is.

In 2012, a subatomic boson named for this English -- Yes, Alexandria.

-Higgs.

-Higgs is right.

Yep, Alexandria.

-Sibelius.

-Yeah.

Yeah, Alexandria.

-Ross.

-Ross is right.

Walter Johnson.

-Roberts?

-Answer.

-Roberts?

-Roberts, yeah.

Anybody, any takers?

The answer is the Fates.

This English romantic poet wrote "Ode to a Grecian --" Yes, Walter Johnson.

-Yates.

-No.

It's Keats.

Sorry.

Close.

Alexandria.

-Chess.

-Chess is right.

And that does it for our Fast Start.

[ Applause ] Let's take a look at these scores.

Walter Johnson 110, Quince Orchard 110, and Alexandria City 150 points.

[ Applause ] Well, it's time for the Mix & Match round.

Of course, we get to meet these students first.

Connor, introduce yourself.

-Um, hello.

My name is Connor Roberts.

Um, I'm a junior at Walter Johnson High School.

-Wonderful.

How many years on the team?

-Um, this would be my first year.

-Well, welcome.

[ Chuckles ] It's good to see you again.

Hi, Sara.

-Hi, Hillary.

My name is Sara.

I'm an 18-year-old senior at Walter Johnson, and I'm interested in history.

-Nice.

Alice.

-Hi, I'm Alice, I'm a sophomore, and this is my first year competing on "It's Academic."

-Great to have you as well.

-Thank you.

-Here we go.

Questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Hidden in this sentence is what word identifying an official mark or stamp on a passport that allows you to enter or leave a foreign country?

-Visa?

-Yes.

An apocryphal story is which of these?

-Well-documented?

-Sure.

-Well-documented?

-No.

Of doubtful origin.

Here you see every other letter in the name of what large sea bird that nicknames the state of Louisiana?

-Pelican.

-Yeah.

Not exactly.

Please eliminate one word and make this Yann Martel title correct.

-"Life of Pi."

-Yes.

So we would excise squared.

Yes.

Which of these comic book characters has the same name as a philosophical theory suggested by Friedrich Nietzsche?

-Superman.

-Sure.

-Superman?

-Yep.

These were the words of what masterful politician, the 19th century Prussian chancellor, whose name was given to the capital of North Dakota.

-Otto von Bismarck.

-Yeah.

Nicely done.

Walter Johnson, home of the Wildcats, 210 points.

To team two from Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Quince Orchard.

Hey, Evan.

-Hi.

I'm a senior at Quince Orchard, and this is my third year on the "It's Academic" quiz bowl team.

-Wonderful.

Good to see you.

Drew.

-I'm Drew.

I'm a senior at QO.

And this will be my fourth taping of "It's Academic."

-[ Chuckles ] Good.

And, Steven.

-I'm Steven, a senior at QO.

And this is my third or fourth year on quiz bowl.

-Wonderful.

You guys are pretty experienced.

Here are some questions for you.

Whether or not you dine with royalty, you can find hidden within this phrase the name of what city on the Crimean peninsula where Allied leaders held an important meeting in 1945?

-Yalta.

-Yes.

We all enjoy a good night's sleep, but which of these words describes a personality disorder in which a person is obsessed with sleep?

-Yeah.

Three.

-Yeah.

-Orthosomnia.

-You're right.

Ha!

You can laugh with 20 more points if you fill in the blanks here to name what largest city in China.

-Uh... -Uh, Shanghai?

-No, um -- it's... -It's -- It's Shanghai.

That's, yeah -- Shanghai?

-Yeah.

It's Shanghai.

Good.

Glad you stuck with it.

Not quite, please correct this Toni Morrison title by eliminating -- -Get rid of "rock."

"Song of Solomon."

-[ Chuckles ] Yes.

Thank you.

In 1935, the League of Nations condemned Mussolini for his invasion of which of these countries?

-Ethiopia.

-You got it again.

A baseball player made this comment about what teenager who hung around spring training camp in Havana, but later became leader of Cuba in 1959?

-Fidel Castro.

-Yeah.

-Castro.

-Yep.

Well done, Quince Orchard, home of the Cougars, 230 points.

Over to Alexandria City High School from Alexandria City.

Thomas.

-Um, I'm Thomas.

I'm a senior at ACHS, and this is my first year on "It's Academic."

-Alright, Zachary.

-I'm Zachary, I'm a senior at ACHS, and this is my second taping of "It's Academic."

-And, Taylor.

-I'm Taylor, I'm a senior at ACHS, and this is my first year on "It's Academic."

-Alright, well, we're happy to have you guys back.

Here we go.

Hidden in this phrase is the name of what island from which Napoleon escaped after being sent there in 1814?

-Elba.

-You've got it.

If you were in a quandary, you'd be in which of these?

-Dilemma.

-Yeah.

Union blank.

Central blank.

Fill in the blanks with the name of what same body of water to name the two railway lines which linked up in 1869 to form the First Transcontinental Railroad.

-Pacific.

-Yeah.

You can catch 20 points if you eliminate one word here to make this Joseph Heller title correct.

-No football.

Just "Catch 22."

-[ Chuckles ] No footballs.

Yes.

Very good.

Although the North won the Civil War, it won only which of these battles?

-Vicksburg.

-Right again.

This was Lyndon Johnson's 1968 statement about what Asian war that dominated his administration?

-Vietnam War.

-Yeah.

Nicely done.

Alexandria City, 270 points.

[ Applause ] And that does it for Mix & Match.

We've got Picture Perfect next.

Please stay with us.

-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.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -We love pictures here on "It's Academic," and we like sharing them, which is why of course we have a Picture Perfect round.

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

First team to buzz in gets to answer.

Dr. Martin Luther King was born in this house in what Georgia city where his father was a pastor?

Quince Orchard.

-Atlanta.

-Yeah.

Atlanta.

-Yeah.

It's Atlanta.

This observation comes from what British author who wrote about romance in "The Importance of Being --" Yes.

Quince Orchard.

-Wilde.

-Yeah.

A hinged shell like this is described with what B initialed -- -Bivalve.

-Bivalve is right.

Nice, Alexandria City.

Which of these equations -- A, B, or C -- will give a hyperbola when graphed?

Yep.

Quince Orchard.

-It's B right.

-Answer.

Answer.

-C. -No, it's A.

The Peruvian city of Iquitos is a port for ships carrying what substance vulcanized by Charles -- Yep.

Alexandria City.

-Rubber.

-Yeah.

This book details the horrifying cruelty that saturated the Congo -- Walter Johnson.

-Belgium.

-Yeah, Belgium.

Nicely done.

If you analyzed your own tears, their pH would be nearest to which of these -- Walter Johnson.

-Go.

-7.4.

-Yeah.

That's it.

-Good job.

-Though his plays are often performed in this -- -Ibsen.

-[ Chuckles ] -No, no, no, we're going for Norway.

But that was a really good jump.

Yeah, and that does it for the Picture Perfect round.

Let's look at these scores.

[ Applause ] 250 points Walter Johnson.

250 points Quince Orchard.

And 290 points for Alexandria City.

Well, we do the packet round now, but first we do something that's really important.

We get to meet the people who support these teams.

We begin with Walter Johnson from Bethesda.

Sara, who's with you?

-Right.

We have Miss Meyer, who's our sponsor.

She's a world history teacher.

And then we have our principal, Ms. Morgan, and also our parents.

-Awesome, great to have all of you guys.

Over to Quince Orchard and Drew.

-So we brought along with our parents, Mr. Schuman, a government teacher who is our coach.

-Nice, and I like your red shoes by the way.

[ Chuckles ] And to Alexandria City, Zachary.

-Okay, so in the first row, we have our two coaches, Mr. Zahn and Mr. Maes.

And then in the second row, we have our alternates, Zechariah and Harlow.

-Beautiful.

Round of applause for everybody.

♪♪ And now we can begin the packet round.

Walter Johnson, you get to answer questions from one of these fine packets.

One, two, or three.

Quince Orchard, pick a packet.

-Two.

-Two.

-Two.

So you guys know because you've been through this, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

If you get all the questions right, 25 point bonus.

Whoo!

Here we go.

[ Chuckles ] President Andrew Jackson was the target of a failed assassination attempt by Richard Lawrence, who was then prosecuted by what lawyer who had earlier written the "Star Spangled Banner"?

-Francis Scott Key?

Francis Scott Key.

-Yeah.

That's it.

In 71 BC, Roman authorities crucified over 6,000 slaves following the unsuccessful slave rebellion led by what former gladiator?

-Spartacus.

-You've got it again.

After pulling the wool over her father's eyes, Medea helped Jason steal what legendary sheepskin with a two-word name?

-The Golden Fleece.

-Yes.

Here's your science question.

Which of these terms refers to rock fragments and sediment that collected the foot of a mountain or cliff?

-Scree?

-Scree is right.

More than 120 years after Thomas Paine wrote "The Crisis," a magazine called The Crisis was founded by what African American leader whose first three initials were W.E.B.?

-Du Bois.

-Yeah.

General Godert de Ginkel is remembered, if at all, for his capture of an Irish city that gives its name to what form of five-line humorous verse?

-Limerick.

-Yeah.

Here's your math question.

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

-Nine?

-Yeah.

Nine it is.

Had there been a U.S.-Russia summit during Lincoln's administration, Lincoln would have met with what tsar who had freed Russia's serfs?

-Alexander II.

-Whew!

You've got a 25 point bonus.

Walter Johnson.

Beautiful.

Nicely done.

Quince Orchard, you're up.

Alexandria City, packet one or three?

-Three.

-Three.

At age 13, William Johnston, a drummer boy in the Union Army, became the youngest person ever awarded what highest U.S. military decoration?

-The Medal of Honor.

-The Medal of Honor.

-That is it.

A long-nosed dinosaur species nicknamed Pinocchio Rex was related to what huge dinosaur that terrorized humans in the movie "Jurassic Park"?

-Tyrannosaurus rex.

-Yeah.

Angered when the pirates who had captured him asked only for 20 pieces of silver as ransom, what ancient Roman, famous for crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC, insisted the pirates increase their demand to 50?

-That's Julius Caesar.

-That is right.

Here's your science question.

Which of these terms is used in the making of soap and refers to the hydrolysis of an ester by treatment with a strong alkali?

-Saponification.

-Correct.

Nice.

America got its name for the first name of what Italian navigator who sailed to the West Indies in 1499?

-Sure.

-America Vespucci?

-Yeah.

That's it.

Readers lucked out with the publication of the "Joy Luck Club" by what Chinese-American writer?

-Okay.

-Amy Tan.

-Yeah.

Here's your math question.

What is the root of this expression, taking positive roots and giving your answer as a positive integer?

-It's eight.

-Eight.

-Eight.

-[ Chuckles ] Yeah, that's it.

At various times, a portrait painter, a gunsmith, and a maker of torpedoes, what American is best known for the Clermont, his first commercially successful steamboat?

-Hold on.

I don't know.

-Colt.

-No, Robert Fulton.

But you did a great job.

Quince Orchard, 390 points.

Packet number one for Alexandria City.

When George Washington offered land for rent in the Shenandoah Valley, he insisted tenants plant what sort of fruit trees later planted by John Chapman?

-Apples?

-Yeah.

Over half the population of Hawaii lives on what third largest island that includes the city of Honolulu?

-Who's the biggest?

-Oahu?

-Yep.

That's it.

The Hungry Horse Dam got its name from two horses called Tex and Jerry, who wandered off and were later found cold and hungry in what state where Helena is the capital?

-Montana?

-Yeah.

Here's your science question.

Which of these terms refers to a flower or fruit that lacks a stalk and sits directly on the stem?

-Phloem.

-No, it's sessile.

The Great Wall of China has hundreds of watchtowers, but only 16 fortresses indent the wall built across Britain and named for what Roman Emperor?

-Hadrian?

-Yeah.

As a prisoner of war, what novelist witnessed the World War II firebombing of Dresden and later drew on his experience in the book, "Slaughterhouse-Five"?

-Kurt Vonnegut.

-Yes.

Here's your math question.

Solve for X.

-Negative five.

-You've got it.

In 1835, an angry mob nearly killed what white abolitionist who denounced slavery in his newspaper called "The Liberator"?

-Garrison.

-Garrison?

-You've got it.

Nice.

Alexandria City, 430 points.

These are good teams, which means we'll have a good Grab Bag next.

-Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know that the last US president who had a beard or mustache while in office was William Howard Taft, more than a century ago.

Now that facial hair is popular again, perhaps a whiskered president is in our future.

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

[ Applause ] ♪♪ -How about we learn a little more about these students before we dive into the Grab Bag?

And of course, we begin with Walter Johnson and Connor.

Connor, you have any plans coming up this summer?

-Um, yeah.

So this summer, I'm going with my Boy Scout troop to visit both Turkey and Switzerland.

-Wow.

That's fabulous.

I really want to go to both those places.

Next year you can share with us everything about it, or later -- later this season.

Sara.

-Hi, I plan to work with children with disabilities at a local summer camp.

-Beautiful.

Have you done that before?

-Yes, I've done it twice before.

-Wow, nice.

And, Alice.

-Uh, yeah, this summer, I might volunteer at a local STEM summer camp and then also probably learn how to drive.

-[ Laughs ] That's wonderful for you and terrifying for your parents.

Just saying.

-Watch out.

-Alright, over to Quince Orchard.

How about you, Evan?

-I plan on taking a trip to Europe this summer.

-Where to?

Do you know yet?

-Probably Italy or France.

-Oh, you can't miss with either one, right?

Really, really nice and good food.

Drew.

-So I plan to just work at a summer camp over the summer.

Make some money.

-Uh-huh.

Making money is good.

Have you done the summer camp thing before?

-Uh, yes.

-Yeah.

You like it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, I liked it.

I did that for a little while.

Hi, Steven.

-Hi, um -- I'll probably take a trip to China with my family and just, like, figure out logistics for college.

-Wow, both great.

So what part of China?

Because it's so big.

-Um, probably like northern China.

So, like where my family's from.

-Oh, that's wonderful.

Have a great trip.

And Alexandria City.

Thomas.

-Well, I will also be preparing to go away to college.

And I think my family is taking a trip up to Maine at some point this summer.

-Love Maine.

Beautiful.

Uh, Zachary.

-So last summer, I was an online S.A.T.

tutor for students around the world.

And I plan to do that again this summer.

-Really?

All around the world?

Like where?

-I had a st-- I had a student that was from Azerbaijan, actually.

-Oh, wow.

Cool.

Taylor.

-A lot of getting ready for college.

We'll probably go up to Wisconsin at some point, too.

-Oh, land of cheese.

[ Chuckles ] I've been to Door County.

It's beautiful.

-Yeah, that's where we go.

-Oh, nice.

Alright, guys, I think you're ready for this Grab Bag, huh?

We're going to begin, but first, I'm going to read the scores.

Walter Johnson, 435 points.

Quince Orchard, 390 points.

Alexandria City, 430 points.

So in the Grab Bag, questions are worth 20 points up or down.

As you know, first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go, teams.

In "Through the Looking-Glass," the walrus wants to speak of many things, including what vegetable often served with corned beef?

Yep, Quince Orchard.

-Potato?

-Answer.

-Potatoes?

-No.

Cabbage.

Corned beef and cabbage.

Although Thomas Jefferson was very inventive, the only president to actually hold a patent on an invention was what 16th president elected -- Alexandria.

-Lincoln.

-Lincoln is right.

It was a device to buoy vessels over shoals.

Who knew?

In 1932, Hitler lost Germany's presidential election to what man who'd been -- -Hindenburg?

-Yep.

Quince Orchard.

-Hindenburg?

-Yep.

Nice.

Had he survived, what Spartan king might have said -- Quince Orchard.

-Leonidas, Leonidas?

-Right.

World War II pilots for the India-China Air Transport Service spoke of flying over what dangerous mountain range nicknamed The Hump?

Yep.

Walter Johnson.

Answer.

-The Himalayas.

-Yeah.

That's it.

A Latin term for the first Sunday after Easter provided Victor Hugo with what name for the title character of "The Hunchback of Notre --" Alexandria.

-Quasimodo.

-Quasimodo it is.

What is the radius of a circle whose circumference is 16 pi?

Yep.

Quince Orchard.

-Eight.

-Yeah.

On your screens.

This is the flag of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of -- Quince Orchard.

-Denmark.

-Denmark is right.

In Morse code, "dash dot dash dot" stands for what letter that represents 100 in Roman numerals?

Yep.

Alexandria.

-C. -Answer.

C is right.

During the English Civil War, the Cavaliers opponents gained what nickname because of their short haircuts?

Yep.

Walter Johnson.

-Roundheads.

-Roundheads it is.

Yes.

Once a parish priest, Father Miguel Hidalgo, led an 1810 revolt against Spain in what nation whose current -- Walter Johnson.

Answer.

Three... -Mexico?

-Uh, no, we were going for Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum.

On your screens.

This is Kusaal, a language spoken in Ghana and what other West African country whose capital is Ouagadougou?

Yep.

Walter Johnson, -Burkina Faso.

-Good.

Nice job.

Rather than flags, huge food cauldrons were the military insignia prized by units of what elite J-initialed troops -- Yes.

-Janissaries.

-Janissaries is right.

Not always sound of mind, author Marcel Proust lived in a soundproof room lined with -- [ Buzzer ] Yep.

Quince Orchard.

-Cork.

-Cork is right.

Just got it in under the wire.

And that does it.

It is the end of the game.

We're going to have those scores in just a minute, so stay with us.

-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, my name is Cleo.

I'm a 12th grader, and I go to Georgetown Day School.

Volunteering's been one of the most grounding parts of my life.

Coaching younger students in debate showed me the power of mentorship and being a mentor.

Watching them find their voice reminded me that confidence is something you have to learn, and leadership can start early on in your life.

At the Polish-Ukrainian border, handing out food and directions in a crowded train station, I witnessed resilience in crisis.

In rural China, I taught English to students who'd never even met a foreign teacher, and building connection across language and culture.

Most recently, I helped coordinate a national summit on sexual assault and consent, and this is where I supported survivors and learned how to advocate from behind the scenes.

I learned that service isn't always dramatic.

It's about showing up, listening closely, and using what you have to help where you can.

That's where real impact begins to me.

-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.

-So, everybody, before this competition even began today, I looked at all of these students and I said, "No matter who wins, you are all phenomenal teams."

And they are all phenomenal teams.

They all brought it.

With that, let's look at these scores.

And we had one score adjustment, too.

First, Quince Orchard High School, home of the Cougars.

Evan, Drew, Steven, 470 points.

From Alexandria City, home of the Titans.

Thomas, Zachary, Taylor, 510 points.

[ Applause ] Now, we had a big score adjustment because Walter Johnson got the Mexico question correct.

We were going for Mexico, not Claudia Sheinbaum.

So coming back for the semifinals, Walter Johnson, home of the Wildcats.

Connor, Sara, and Alice got the 25-point bonus and 515 points.

Well done, guys.

[ Applause ] I love good competitive games like this one.

So happy you were with us today.

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you next time, and remember, everybody... -It's academic!

-Bye-bye.

[ Applause ] -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.

♪♪ ♪♪