-Students from Elizabeth Seton... Walter Johnson... Robinson meet today on "It's Academic."

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] Hello everybody.

I’m Hilary 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.

-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following... MITRE -- a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

-What happens when the right people connect, diversity challenges convention, mentors inspire greatness, and passions drive innovation?

From health to transportation and national security, cyber and AI to space and back, MITRE connects the power of government, academia, and industry to meet our nation’s challenges together.

MITRE connects.

♪♪ -Hey, everybody, we’re so glad you’re with us today.

And of course, we’re beginning with a Fast Start round where questions are worth 10 points up or down.

First team to buzz in gets to answer, and the contestants do not see what you do on the screens at home.

Students, here’s the first question.

Double letter P. Please identify the following, all of which are spelled with two P’s side by side, as in "guppy."

Robinson.

-The Little Dipper?

-Answer.

-The Little Dipper.

-Little Dipper is right.

-Johnson.

-Puppet.

-Yeah!

Puppet.

Ooh!

Together!

The answer is... Philippi.

Robinson.

-Appalachian.

-Yeah.

Robinson.

-Sapphire.

-Yeah.

The Declaration of Independence lists this right to the pursuit of this.

Robinson.

-Happiness.

-Yes.

In physics, this "effect" refers to the changing sound of a siren -- Johnson.

-Doppler.

-Doppler is right.

Johnson.

-Stopping.

-Stopping is right.

Johnson.

-Hippocrates.

-That’s it.

This huge African animal is sometimes called -- Seton.

-Hippopotamus.

-Yeah, hippopotamus is right.

Nicely done.

That does it for the Fast Start.

[ Applause ] ♪♪ Now it’s time for Mix & Match.

Of course, before we jump into the round, we will get to meet these students.

And we begin with Elizabeth Seton from Bladensburg.

Hey, guys, how are you doing?

-All: Good.

-Good.

-Tineta, tell us about yourself.

-Hi, I’m Tineta.

I’m a senior at Elizabeth Seton.

Um, I like to cook, and I like reading.

-Uh-oh.

So many things to ask you about.

Well, let’s start with the cooking.

Because I love to eat.

[ Chuckles ] Okay.

It’s good to have you.

Hello, Max.

-Hello.

-Tell us about yourself.

-Um, I’m Max.

I’m a junior at Elizabeth Seton High School and I compete in Vex robotics, and I play tennis.

-And in robotics.

What are you making?

-Um, we just competed yesterday, actually.

-How’d you do?

-We did well.

-Alright.

Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Hello, Piper.

-Hello.

-What should we know?

-I’m a 15-year-old sophomore at Elizabeth Seton High School, and I love to play the banjo.

-Really?

So you’re a big bluegrass person?

-Yes.

-Awesome.

Do you have a favorite bluegrass band?

-Not particularly.

All of them.

-Just anything.

Okay.

Here’s your first question.

Keep a scale new.

Hidden in this sentence is the name of what type of triangle with three unequal sides.

-Scalene.

-Yeah.

Incendiary, tranquil, benign.

Something that causes fire can best be described by which of these adjectives?

-Incendiary.

-Yes.

Blank Cities of Cibola.

Blank Hills of Rome.

To complete these phrases, please fill in the blanks with what same number.

-Nine.

-Seven Runnymede, Hampton Court, Sherwood Forest.

England’s King John signed the Magna Carta at which of these sites?

-The second?

-Uh, no.

The first, Runnymede.

"Without ice cream, there would be chaos and darkness" And what’s ice cream without chocolate and vanilla, both of which were introduced to Europe by Cortez, who had overrun what Mexican-Indian Empire?

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer?

-Inca?

-Inca.

-It’s the Aztecs.

Bladensburg's Elizabeth Seton 170 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And now to team two -- Walter Johnson from Bethesda.

Hello, Wren.

Tell us about yourself.

-Hi.

My name is Wren.

I’m a 17-year-old junior, and I’m in our school’s debate and history clubs.

I’m really interested in international relations, so I’d like to work in diplomacy.

-Beautiful.

Hello, Grace.

-Hello.

I am a senior at Walter Johnson High School, where I’m also stage manager and student technical director of our theater company.

-Oh, fabulous.

What are you guys producing?

-We’re doing King Lear.

-Oh, that’s always a good one.

-Yes.

-Hello, Lucas.

-Hi.

I’m a senior at Walter Johnson, and I recently started playing guitar.

-Really?

Is it coming easily to you?

-Oh, some parts are.

Other parts are a bit more challenging.

-Okay, here we go.

Universal Money.

You’ll enjoy universal approval if you find hidden in this phrase what fish that swims upstream to spawn.

-Salmon.

-Yeah.

Subjugate, venerate, aerate.

Which of these words is the best synonym for the verb conquer?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Subjugate?

Subjugate.

Yes.

-Add two consonants here, and you’ll name what French speaking Caribbean country that shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.

-Haiti.

-Yes.

Saint Augustine, San Diego, San Francisco.

Which of these American cities is the oldest having been settled in 1565?

-Saint Augustine.

-Correct.

"Slaves in Revolt."

These words might have headlined a story in a Roman newspaper in 72 BC, when what gladiator had a long -- led a long but unsuccessful slave revolt?

-Together: Spartacus.

-Yeah.

That’s it.

Nicely done.

Walter Johnson, 240 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And finally to Robinson High School from Fairfax, Virginia.

Hey, guys.

-Hey.

-What’s up?

-The ceiling.

-Very good.

My husband will like that.

He’s a punster.

Austin, what’s up with you?

Tell us about yourself.

-Hi.

I’m a senior at Robinson High School, and I’m an Eagle Scout.

-Oh, and what kind of badges do you have or are you most proud of attaining?

-Ooh, um.

maybe the hiking merit badge.

-Yeah.

-We go hike across mountain ranges for that one.

-Oh, wow.

Beautiful.

Well, congratulations on that.

Nice to have you.

Hello, Zaid.

What should we know about you?

-Hi.

I’m a senior at Robinson.

I’m 17 years old, and I help run the Latin Classics club there.

We meet, like, once a month every time to help run some activities and, uh, just cool little things we do to get together and enjoy the cool history of the classics.

-Beautiful.

Nice to have you, Zaid.

Thank you.

And Hello, Julien.

-I’m a 16-year-old junior at Robinson.

I like to draw and I also play the piano.

-What do you draw?

-Um, I just do realistic art.

Uh, humans, animals, a lot of stuff.

Well, it’s good to have you, and I have these questions if you are ready.

Summer Lingers On.

Linger over these words, and you can find the hidden name of what legendary magician from King Arthur’s court.

-Merlin.

-Yes.

Population, Aviation, Conservation.

Someone concerned with demographics will study statistics in which of these fields?

-Population?

-Yeah.

Blank horse.

Blank peak.

Place what same word in the blanks here to name a mountain in Montana and a Native-American leader who helped defeat Custer at Little Bighorn.

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer?

-No answer.

-No answer.

It’s crazy.

Crazy horse, crazy peak.

General welfare, free trade, domestic tranquility.

Which of these goals is not listed in the preamble to the US Constitution?

-Free trade.

Right?

-No, I don’t think it’s domestic tranquility.

-Domestic tranquility?

-No, it was free trade.

Zaid, you had it.

"No nation ought to be without debt."

Now, there’s a quote from someone who never saw modern deficits.

What Revolutionary War pamphleteer who wrote "Common Sense"?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Tom Paine, yeah.

-Thomas Paine.

-Yes.

And that’s it.

Nicely done.

Robinson 200 points.

That is it for the Mix & Match round.

But don’t despair.

We have another round just ahead.

It’s Picture Perfect.

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.

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -You guys feeling the love when you see those signs, you know, and everybody clapping?

Yeah.

It’s nice.

Well, this is the Picture Perfect round where questions are worth 20 points up or down.

Once again the first team to buzz in gets to answer.

Here we go.

Bedouins in the North African desert don’t travel with a lot of baggage, but they often carry beans to make what caffeinated beverage?

Uh, Seton.

-Coffee.

-Yeah.

That’s it.

"The hordes of bureaucrats are on the rise."

These words of warning come from Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, who won the award in what field that concerns money, goods, and services?

Johnson.

-Yeah.

-Economics.

-That’s it.

This is the flag of the Pacific Island nation With the name of what wise, biblical King?

Johnson.

Answer.

-Solomon.

-Yeah.

-What is the average of these three numbers?

Robinson.

-16.

-Correct.

This is George Caleb Bingham’s 1845 painting of fur traders descending what major tributary of the Mississippi River?

Johnson.

Answer.

-Missouri.

-That’s it.

CuO.

When this compound is reduced by hydrogen, copper, metal, and what compound are formed?

-Robinson.

-Hydroxide?

-No.

It’s water.

When Winston Churchill was voted out of office in 1945, he had been meeting with Stalin and Truman in what P-initialed town near Berlin?

Yes.

Robinson.

-Potsdam.

-Yeah, you got it.

Black-footed ferrets eat a lot of what so called dogs, burrowing rodents -- Walter Johnson.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Prairie dogs.

-Prairie is right.

And that does it for the Picture Perfect round.

Let’s recap the scores.

Elizabeth Seton 170.

Walter Johnson 320.

Robinson 220 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] We get to meet the people who helped prepare these students for "It's Academic."

And of course, we’re going to begin with Elizabeth Seton.

Max, who’s with you today?

-Um.

We have with us today our director of academics, Mr. Conlon, and I would like to thank him, as well as all of Seton staff for their continued and constant support.

-Wonderful.

And Grace, tell us who’s with you?

-We have our coach, Miss Meyer, here today along with our alternate Alice Frank.

-Alright.

And over to Robinson.

Zaid, tell us about your crew.

-Hey, we got Mr. Campana, our coach here, and also our assistant principal, Mrs. Cheryl.

-Wonderful.

We’re so happy when everybody comes to cheer you guys on.

And they’re going to cheer you on for this Packet round, which is next.

♪♪ So in this packet round, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

And if you get every question correct, there’s a 25-point bonus.

Now for the rest of it, Elizabeth Seton, you get to go first.

Walter Johnson, you get to choose which packet they’re going to answer questions from -- one, two, or three?

-Three.

Three.

-Alrighty.

When Edgar Allan Poe wrote of a large water dog, he apparently meant what sort of retriever named for a region of eastern Canada?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Golden.

-No.

Labrador retriever.

A pasta maker and a folding chair were part of the furnishings at Monticello, the home of what third President?

-Thomas Jefferson.

-Yeah.

Over 100,000 fish swim behind 2-foot thick acrylic walls in one of the world’s largest aquariums in what Georgia State Capitol?

-Atlanta.

-Yeah.

It’s Atlanta.

Here’s your science question.

Luther Burbank, Tim Berners-Lee, Léon Foucault.

The speed of light and water was first measured by which of these men who used a pendulum to study the Earth’s rotation?

-The third one.

-Yeah.

You got it.

Though reporters referred to it as the "Monkey Trial," the defendant in Tennessee’s 1925 famous evolution trial was what schoolteacher?

[ Indistinct whispering ] Answer.

-Charles Darwin.

-No Scopes.

"Zora and Me" is a children’s book about what woman who wrote "Their Eyes are Watching God"?

-Zora Neale Hurston.

-Yeah.

Very good.

Here’s your math question.

Evaluate this expression.

-Together: One.

-Yeah, you’ve got it.

Geothermal power provides most of the energy used for home heating in what country where Reykjavik is capital?

-Iceland.

-Iceland is right.

Nicely done.

Elizabeth Seton, 290 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Alright, Walter Johnson, you are up.

And we have questions from either packet number one or packet number two.

What’s it going to be Robinson?

-Number one.

-Number one.

In just one day in the 16th century Germany, 133 women were burned at the stake for what crime associated here with Salem, Massachusetts?

-Witchcraft?

-Yes.

John F. Kennedy was the first president to have been a member of what youth organization whose motto is "Be Prepared"?

-Boy Scouts.

-Yeah.

Chemist Robert Bunsen nearly killed himself experimenting with what poisonous element that has atomic number 33 and symbol As?

-Arsenic.

-Arsenic is right.

Here’s your science question.

Enamel, cartilage, adipose tissue.

Which of these is the hardest substance in the human body?

-Enamel.

-It is.

After identifying over 40 objects resembling both planets and comets, astronomers named them for what mythical creatures, half horse, half man?

-Centaur.

-Yeah.

"The Selfish Giant" was a children’s story by what author better known for such works as "The Picture of Dorian Gray"?

-Oscar Wilde.

-Correct.

Here’s your math question.

Which of these numbers is evenly divisible by six?

-The third one?

-Nope, it’s the first one.

According to legend, Saint Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland and a Maori god did the same for what Pacific nation whose capital is Wellington?

-New Zealand.

-New Zealand is right.

Nicely done.

Walter Johnson 460 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] And now packet number two for Robinson.

Bet you would have gotten that Boy Scout question, Austin.

[ Chuckles ] Here we go.

In 1624, an English farmer built a barn with the timbers from what ship that four years earlier had carried pilgrims to America?

[ Indistinct whispering ] -Together: Mayflower.

-Mayflower is right.

The ancient Greek general Alcibiades fought for both Athens and what militaristic city state that opposed Athens?

-Sparta.

-Correct again.

A meteorite that landed in Morocco in 2012 had been ejected 700,000 years ago from what planet fourth from the sun?

-Mars.

Mars.

-Mars is right.

Here’s your science question.

Alcohols, esters, hydrates.

Salts that contain some loosely bonded water molecules are called which of these?

-Hydrates.

-Yeah.

The legendary Flying Dutchman is not a Dutch aviator, but a ghost ship that supposedly sails the seas off what cape near the tip of Africa?

-Cape town?

-Uh, Cape of Good Hope.

-Cape of good Hope is right.

It would have been appropriate if Ralph Ellison had used disappearing ink to write what novel for which he is best known?

The answer is "Invisible Man."

Here’s your math question.

If x equals four.

Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as an integer.

[ Indistinct whispering ] -14.

-14 is right.

In 2016, a monkey fell or jumped onto a transformer and caused a nationwide blackout in what African nation where Nairobi is capital?

-[ Indistinct whispering ] -Kenya.

-Kenya is right.

Robinson 360 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] That does it for the Packet round.

You know what’s next.

It’s the Grab Bags.

Stay with us.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ -Hello, I’m David Rubenstein.

Did you know that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt arranged for the placement of the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin, because he could see it there from the White House?

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

♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ] -It is that time for... -All: Grab Bag round!

-Whoo!

Yes it is.

Before we jump in, let’s recap those scores.

Elizabeth Seton 290.

Walter Johnson 460.

Robinson 360 points.

Now in this round, as you know, questions are worth 20 points up or down.

And there will be questions on your monitors.

Here we go.

Among the last Confederate casualties was Charles Minnigerode, who was wounded at what Virginia site where Lee surrendered?

Robinson.

-Appomattox courthouse.

-Yeah.

-What is the largest prime factor of 35?

Seton.

-Seven.

-Yeah, seven it is.

Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote his book "Between the World and Me" after a meeting in 2013 with what US president, a Democrat?

Johnson.

-Obama.

-Yeah.

On your monitors.

These peaceful woods saw action on May 3, 1940, when German troops outflanked what supposedly impregnable line of French fortified -- Johnson.

-Maginot.

That is right.

Not even the biggest shoe stores carry the winged sandals worn by what classical messenger?

Johnson.

-Hermes.

Hermes.

-Yeah.

Choice.

A frequency of 30,000kHz is equal to how many megahertz?

3, 30, or 300.

Anybody going to go for it?

No?

The answer -- Robinson.

-300.

-No 30.

A colonial settlement called Strawberry Bank was the original site of what New Hampshire city, where the 1905 treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed?

Any takers?

The answer is Portsmouth.

On your monitors.

This is the Finnish word for soap salesman.

I’m not going to try to say it.

It is also what sort of word that could be spelled the same way backwards and forwards?

Johnson.

-Palindrome.

-Palindrome is correct.

The goddess Juno liked peacocks, but the goddess Minerva was the protector of what other -- Johnson.

-Together: Owls.

-Yeah, owls.

What is the sum of the exterior angles of a regular polygon with 16 sides?

Yes, Seton.

-Answer?

-350.

-No 360.

Close.

To flash-freeze food companies often use a liquid form of what?

Robinson.

-Nitrogen.

Nitrogen.

-Yes.

On your monitors.

This was a depiction of England’s King George the Fourth, a member of what dynasty that had originated in -- Johnson.

-Hanover.

-Yeah.

In the fall, most of the world’s Kirtland’s warblers fly from their nests in Michigan to winter in what island nation whose capital is Nassau?

Johnson.

-Bahamas.

-That’s it.

In 1885, Canada dedicated its first national park what mountainous tract whose name ends with two F’s?

The answer is Banff.

I still want to go there.

The game of mahjong plays a central role in what Amy Tan novel set in -- Johnson.

-"Joy Luck Club."

-Yeah.

Jamaica’s mineral resources include bauxite, the chief ore of what light, malleable metal?

The answer is aluminum.

Oh, sorry.

Beat you to the buzzer.

Arguments about government surveillance often refer to the ban on unreasonable searches contained in what number constitute -- Yes, Robinson.

-Uh, fourth amendment.

-Which one?

-Fourth amendment.

-Fourth Amendment’s right.

A lunar crater has been named for what English scientist who must have been over the moon when he realized his smallpox vaccine was successful?

The answer is... -Yes.

-Fleming.

Fleming.

-No, it’s Edward Jenner.

What two letter pronoun begins the preamble to the Constitution?

Yes, Seton.

-"We."

-"We" is right.

A jazz opera titled "Blue Monday" was the work of what American composer who later wrote "Porgy and Bess"?

Yes.

-Gershwin.

-Yeah, you are right.

And that does it.

The buzzer sounded.

Uh, and that is the end of the Grab Bag round.

Please stay with us.

We’re going to tabulate those scores and have the results in just one minute.

♪♪ -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 Brendan.

I go to Albert Einstein High School, and a while ago I did this program called the RC3 program or the Rock Creek Conservancy Corps.

Uh, pretty much all you do is you go around Montgomery County and you pick up trash and do invasive species removal.

I personally really enjoyed the program.

I got to learn so much about the environment and how I could benefit it.

Uh, and along with that, I got to meet a lot of amazing people as well.

Uh, most of my close friends at the moment are people that I met through this program.

-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.

[ Cheers and applause ] -Hey, everybody.

The scores are now official.

We begin with Elizabeth Seton High School from Bladensburg.

Tineta, Max, Piper, 310 points.

[ Applause ] And from Fairfax, Virginia’s Robinson High School, Austin, Zaid, Julien, 400 points.

[ Cheers and applause ] Coming back for the playoffs, Walter Johnson from Bethesda.

Wren, Grace, Lucas, 620 points.

Kept answering those questions and often correctly.

[ Chuckles ] Hey, stick around.

We will be right back.

-Support for its academic has been provided by the following... MITRE -- a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.

-What happens when the right people connect, diversity challenges convention, mentors inspire greatness, and passions drive innovation?

From health to transportation and national security, cyber and AI to space and back, MITRE connects the power of government, academia, and industry to meet our nation’s challenges together.

MITRE connects.

-Hey, we want to thank you for being with us today as these students competed right here on "It’s Academic."

I’m Hilary Howard.

See you next time.

Bye.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪