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You are now watching the start of 2025 middle school Academic Bowl semifinals between Upperman middle school and Prescott South C team.

Thank you for your support and enjoy the program.

Hello, and welcome to the 2025 WCTE TV Middle School Academic Bowl.

We're coming to you from the brand new Ashraf Islam Engineering Building on the campus of Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee, the heart of the Upper Cumberland.

My name is Molly Risley, and I'll be your moderator for today's match between Upperman middle School and Prescott Middle School C team.

Let's meet our players from Upperman, Colton Johnson.

Tell us something fun about you, Colton.

I like math.

I'm Ryan Overpeck, and I'm in choir.

I'm Andrew and I like animals.

22 00:01:35,361 --> 00:01:38,164 I'm Sam Brown and I play saxophone.

My name is Caroline Beach and I like theater.

My name is Finn.

And my last name is Ryan.

My name is Niam, and I like to eat food.

My name is Gaius, and I have three cats.

All right.

Welcome to both teams.

We hope you have a great experience today.

And we're going to grab our buzzers and get ready, because we're gonna start with a toss up.

Since 1972, this NFL franchise has been the only NFL team to complete a perfect season.

Name this team that is led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Gaius?

Miami Dolphins.

Yeah, you got it.

Miami Dolphins.

Here are your bonuses for Prescott.

For ten points each.

Answer the following about state nicknames.

This state, known as the Old Dominion State, is also known as the Mother of Presidents state, Delaware?

Incorrect.

It's Virginia.

And part B, this state once used the nickname of the Land of Sunshine, but has more recently focused on being known as the Land of Enchantment.

Florida.

You're going to be enchanted if you go to New Mexico, New Mexico, so no points on the bonus.

We'll go to our next tossup.

In primates, this bone lies beneath the maxilla.

Mastication involves repeatedly moving this horseshoe shaped bone.

A popular myth holds that snakes can voluntarily unhinge.

Andrew.

Jaw.

Can you give me a little more, Bottom jaw?

Yeah.

Jaw.

Jaw bone.

All right, we'll take it.

Here are your bonuses.

The word dinosaur means terrible lizard.

For ten points each, answer the following about dinosaurs.

No.

Never mind.

We read that one recently for ten points each.

Answer the.

Identify the following from the world of science.

Technology.

This two word term is used for the region near San Francisco where the miniaturized electronics industry is located.

So named because the devices built there are made of a certain element silicon Valley.

That is correct.

This other term is used for a metric unit of power equal to one joule per second.

Horsepower.

It's watts.

So you got half of that bonus and the toss up.

Let's go to our next tossup.

Get your pencils and paper ready for this math Toss up.

Eliza needs to know her average speed in miles per hour.

Given that she first traveled at a constant speed of 45mph for 40 minutes, then rested for 20 minutes.

Since her total time adds up to one hour, she computes what average speed.

Ryan.

It's 22.5.

That's incorrect.

Can you take it?

Prescott C. Niam?

Three miles per hour.

Incorrect.

We're looking for a 30mph there, so nobody gets that one.

We'll do our next toss up .

During the presidency of John Adams, the US fought an undeclared naval war from 1798 to 1800 against this country as part of the XYZ affair.

Name this country.

Samuel.

France.

France is correct.

Here are your bonuses after the president and vice president.

The next in line to hold the vacated office of the president are the speaker of the House and the president pro tempore of the Senate.

For ten points each.

What Republican from Louisiana is the current speaker of the House?

I'll refer to Andrew.

Lindsey Graham.

It's incorrect.

It's Mike Johnson.

What Republican from the state of Iowa is the current president pro tempore of the Senate?

Mitch McConnell.

It's Chuck Grassley, so no points on those bonuses.

We'll go to our next tossup.

During this scandal, Rosemary Woods claimed to have accidentally erased 18 minutes of a tape.

Andrew.

Watergate.

Watergate is correct.

Here are your bonuses for Upperman.

For ten points each, answer the following questions about elements of the Earth.

This element is the most common gas in the atmosphere, making up about 78% of the air we breathe.

Nitrogen.

Nitrogen is correct.

This other element comprises 21% of the atmosphere and is the most abundant element in the human body, accounting for about 65% of a person's mass.

Oxygen.

That is correct.

Got them both.

Next tossup.

Five national capitals lie on this body of water, including Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and Stockholm, Sweden's capital.

And Stockholm, Sweden's capital Niam?

The Baltic Sea.

The Baltic Sea is correct.

Here are your bonuses for Prescott.

Given a description or definition of a term from the field of Earth science for ten points each, identify the term.

This term is used for the mixture of decaying organic matter used to restore nutrients to the soil.

Decomposition.

Judges?

No.

That's incorrect.

We're looking for compost.

This other Earth science term is used for the permanently frozen ground in the Arctic coastal plain of Alaska.

147 00:07:46,933 --> 00:07:48,401 Permafrost.

Permafrost is correct.

You got half on the bonus in that toss up.

We'll go to our next tossup.

This number was retired by all MLB teams in 1997 to honor Jackie Robinson, who wore this number while playing baseball.

According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Andrew, number 42.

42 is correct.

Here are your bonuses for Upperman.

given an author and partial title of one of their works for ten points each, identify the number that is used to complete the title from author Judy Blume.

Tales of a Blank Grade.

Nothing.

162 00:08:29,842 --> 00:08:31,143 First grade.

Incorrect.

It's fourth grade and from author Doctor Seuss, The Blank Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

100.

It's 500, so no points on those bonuses.

We'll go to our next tossup.

This man is probably best known for needing to know the location of a lamb sauce and telling someone their meat... Ryan?

Gordon Ramsey.

Gordon Ramsay is correct.

Good fast buzz there.

All right.

Here are your bonuses for Upperman for ten points each, answer the following questions about the American Revolution.

This Pennsylvania location was the winter encampment of the Continental Army, under the command of George Washington.

During the winter of 1777, Valley forge.

That's correct.

In 1781, the Continental Army's victory over Cornwallis at this Virginia location prompted the British government to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Yorktown.

Yorktown.

The world turned upside down.

You got them both, and we're going to our next tossup.

Rising above the Bell Forest River, it has a top area of 1.5 acres.

What is this 865ft rock formation, the first national monument in the United States.

Located in northeast Wyoming.

Andrew.

Devil's tower, say it again.

Devil's tower.

Devil's tower is correct.

Here are your bonuses for Upperman, ten points each.

Answer the following about hosts that appeared on some of the most popular shows that have aired on PBS.

The joy of painting dazzled artists and regular viewers alike, as this soft spoken host used amusing isms like happy little trees that made watching each episode a soothing and relaxing experience.

Bob Ross, Bob Ross and When The French Chef aired on PBS, it gave a platform to this host, the author of mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Francois.

Incorrect.

We're looking for Julia Child.

So you got ten on the bonus and ten on the tossup.

We are at the end of round one.

And we've got scores of 120 for Upperman.

Prescott.

C with 30 we're going to take a quick break and we're we're right back to start the lightning round.

And we're back with a great match going on between Upperman and Prescott C. Prescott middle school C team, You guys are going to get to choose first in the lightning round.

And your options are the letter F or the letter R. F. And you've chosen letter F. So all of these responses are going to begin with the letter F. We've got 60sec on the clock.

I'm going to be looking to Niam the captain for all the responses.

Okay, here we go.

It's the capital of the Bluegrass State Pass.

It's Japan's Tallest mountain.

Fuji.

It's a tropical yellow fish with teal stripes and Ariel's best friend, Flounder.

It's the strongest and longest bone in the human body.

Femur.

It's the term for a brash, bob haired woman of the Jazz Age.

Pass.

This is the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, Florence.

It's the type of story famously told by Aesop.

Fable.

This literary device has the story leaping back to describe earlier events.

Flashback.

He's the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis Pass.

They are narrow, deep inlets, such as the ones found on Norway's coast.

Pass.

It's the capital of the Bluegrass State, Fulton.

Fulton.

It's a term for a brash, bob haired woman of the Jazz Age, flounder He's the Austrian founder of psychoanalysis.

And we're out of time.

All right, so I got one, two, three, 4 or 5, six, six correct responses for 60 points.

You got Fuji, flounder, femur, Florence, fable and flashback.

We missed Frankfurt.

It's the capital of Kentucky.

The bluegrass State.

A flapper is a bob haired woman from the Jazz age.

Freud is the founder of psychoanalysis.

And fjords are those little, inlets near Norway.

All right, so we're coming over to Upperman and answer questions about the letter R, and I will be coming to...Samuels, my captain, for all those responses.

We've got 60s on the clock.

Here we go.

It's the capital city of Italy.

Rome.

It's the national sport of Fiji, New Zealand, South Africa and many more.

Rugby.

Dutch Golden Age painter of the night watch .

Boudin, Boudin.

It's the traditional birthstone of July.

Ruby, Ruby.

It's the state bird of New Mexico.

And the obsession of wily coyote.

Roadrunner.

It was the disease that both Cujo and Old Yeller suffered from.

Rabies rabies.

Who are the opponents of the Cavaliers during the English Civil War?

Pass.

German fairy tale creature that spins straw into gold.

Rumpelstiltskin.

With an atomic number of 86.

It has a symbol of RN.

Radion.

He served as the 40th president of the United States.

Great Reagan.

They were the opponents of the Cavaliers during the English Civil War.

Pass.

And that's all we got left.

So 1234567.

Correct responses.

No.

123456.

Yeah seven.

Correct responses.

You got Rome.

Rugby.

Ruby.

Roadrunner, rabies, Rumpelstiltskin and Reagan.

You missed, Rembrandt painted the night watch the Roundheads, were the opponents of the Cavaliers and radon is the atomic number 86. and symbol RN.

So we do have a substitution after the lightning round.

So we're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back with round two.

Welcome back.

We have a great match going on between Upperman and Prescott Middle School.

C team.

At the end of the lightning round we have Upperman with 190 and Prescott with 90.

And we're going to start round two with a toss up.

So players everybody get your buzzers.

Here we go.

It contains 80% of the mass of the gases in the atmosphere and 99%... Caroline?

Nitrogen.

That's incorrect.

I'll keep reading.

99% of the water vapor.

What is the lowest layer of the Earth's atmosphere?

Time.

And that would be troposphere.

So no points on that toss up.

We'll go to our next tossup.

What researcher from the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama promoted changing the South's dependance on soil, depleting crops like cotton to other crops like sweet potatoes.

Niam?

George Washington Carver.

That is correct.

Yes.

And here are your bonuses for Prescott for ten points each.

Answer the following question.

Questions about images on American currency.

This man, the seventh president of the United States, has his image on the front of the $20 note.

Andrew Jackson that's correct.

On the back of the $20 note is this Washington, DC building that was designed by James Hoban.

The Jefferson Memorial.

Incorrect.

It's the white House.

So you got half of that bonus and the toss up.

We'll go to our next tossup.

When this woman opened a gift from Zeus, the only thing left behind.

Caroline?

Pandora, Pandora.

The only thing left behind was hope.

Here are your bonuses for Prescott C for ten points each.

Answer the following about biological systems.

This system consists of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants.

The lungs.

Incorrect.

Its respiratory system.

This other biological system removes excess unnecessary materials from body fluids of an organism, so help maintain internal chemical homeostasis and prevent damage to the body The digestive system?

Incorrect.

It's the excretory system, so no points there.

We'll go to our next tossup.

A painting by this artist of the anatomy lesson of Doctor Nicholas Tope depicts a group of civil guards in Amsterdam, led by Franz Ferdinand Coke.

Name this Dutch artist of the Nightwatch Niam?

Rembrandt.

Rembrandt is correct.

Yes.

Here are your bonus opportunities for ten points each.

Answer the following about a South American country, along with Ecuador, this South American country is a member of OPEC due to its large petroleum reserve found near Lake Maracaibo.

Venezuela Venezuela is correct.

Venezuela is home to this waterfall, the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel falls.

You got it?

Got them both.

All right.

Next tossup.

His sister was Miriam and his brother was Aaron.

Niam?

Moses.

Moses.

You got it.

Here are your bonuses for Prescott for ten points each.

Answer the following about fictional places.

As a home of Winnie the Pooh and his friends in a series of books by A.A. Milne, it is the.

It is the term in the novel used for a specific part of the larger forest that is centered on Owl's house.

No answer.

That's the 100 Acre Wood.

This other fictional land is the collective world where the hobbits and others live in.

J.R.R.

Tolkien's works, Middle Earth.

Middle earth is correct.

So you got part of that bonus and the tossup.

Here's the next tossup.

Opponent said a barrel of hard cider was the main thing desired by this man.

who while in cold rain gave a nearly two hour long inaugural address.

The slogan Tippecanoe and Tyler too was used by what president who died?

Andrew?

Harrison.

Prompt.

WIlliam Henry Harrison.

You got it.

Picked the right one.

So you got the toss up and you guys will get an opportunity to answer bonus questions for ten points each.

Answer the following about notable American inventors and their nick names.

This inventor was a founding father and given the nickname father of the stove and tamer of Lightning Franklin.

That's correct.

This other inventor was given the nickname Father of Frozen Foods, and his name is still synonymous with frozen foods today.

Stover.

Stover.

It's Clarence Birdseye, so you got half that bonus.

And the tossup go to our next tossup at the end of this musical, a jellicle ascends to the Heaviside Layer.

Grizabella sings memory in what Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a group of felines.

Samuel?

Cats.

Cats is correct.

Here are your bonuses for Uppermen.

From 1899 to 2008 the US mint did a series of quarters honoring the 50 states for ten points each.

Identify the state from a description of the image on the reverse of that state's quarter.

From this series, a minuteman statue and the caption Bay state are on the reverse side of this quarter.

Massachusetts.

That is correct.

As a key landmark on the Oregon Trail, chimney Rock is seen on the reverse of this quarter, along with a covered wagon.

Oklahoma.

Incorrect.

It's Nebraska, so you got half that bonus.

We'll go to our next tossup.

The lift widget is a protective symbol that represents this God's eye.

Set fought this god for the throne.

Andrew?

Sias?

that's incorrect.

I'll keep reading.

After the murder of Osiris.

Name this falcon headed god from Egyptian mythology.

Caroline?

Ras.

Incorrect.

It's Horus.

No points on that tossup.

Next tossup.

These waves occupy the longest wavelength portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Ryan.

Radio waves.

That is correct.

Here are your bonuses for ten points each.

Answer the following about famous Tennesseans.

This Tennessean was known as the King of the Wild Frontier and died in 1836 defending the Alamo.

Davy Crockett, that is correct.

What other Tennessean served as a governor of Tennessee before going to Texas and serving as president of the Republic of Texas?

Sam Houston?

That's correct.

Got them both.

Next tossup.

During this holiday, the youngest family member asks four questions, including why is this night different from all other nights?

Unleavened...Samuel?

Christmas Eve?

That's incorrect.

I'll keep reading.

Unleavened maazah is consumed as part of the Cedar dinner.

During what Jewish holiday commemorating... Niam?

Passover?

Passover is correct.

Here are your bonuses for ten points each.

Identify the following about names of constellations.

Identify the Latin name that is used for the constellation with the more common English name of the fishes.

Pisces Pisces is correct.

This other constellation has the Latin name of Gemini.

Identify the common English name for this constellation Twins.

Twins is correct.

Got them both.

Next tossup.

His name is given to a giant variety of trees found in California.

Who is this Tennessean?

One that in 1821 completed an alphabet of 86 symbols for his Cherokee... Niam?

Sequoyah.

Sequoyah is correct.

Here are your bonuses given a description of a famous literary character for ten points each identify the character.

This character, created by Mark Twain, goes down the Mississippi River with Jim the king and Duke.

Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry Finn is correct.

This other character is a tiny princess from a fairy tale emerging from a flower before she's carried off by a toad.

Thumbelina.

Thumbelina is correct.

So you got both of those, but that sound means it's the end of round two and our game has come to a close.

We have Upperman with 260 and Prescott C with 230.

A very close, very exciting game.

Give yourselves a round of applause.

Great job guys.

Thanks for being with us.

This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.