>> BILLY COSTA: Coming up on High School Quiz Show: it's the wildcard match with Melrose High School... (fanfare) (cheers and applause) ...taking on Concord-Carlisle High School!

(fanfare) (cheers and applause) That's next on High School Quiz Show!

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(cheers and applause) >> COSTA: Hi, everybody, and welcome to the 14th season of High School Quiz Show.

I'm Billy Costa, your host, and before we get started, I want to welcome our teams, as well as a live audience back in studio.

Give yourselves a round of applause.

(cheers and applause) It's great to see everybody in person again.

Now, as they do every year, teams from across the commonwealth competed in our Super Sunday qualifying event.

17 teams earned a spot in this year's competition and are hoping to become the next High School Quiz Show state champion.

In today's wildcard match: Concord-Carlisle High School and Melrose High School make their Quiz Show debut competing for the final spot in the tournament bracket.

On the Concord-Carlisle team we have: Anthony, Thomas, Leah, and Will, with coaches Tyler Patterson and Todd Sawyer.

And competing for Melrose we've got: Lexie, Sammy, Spencer, and Nora, with coaches Josh Cristiano and Tom Scudder.

How about a nice round of applause for everybody?

(cheers and applause) The competition has four rounds: a toss-up, a head-to-head, a category round, and a lightning round.

And we start with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth ten points.

There are no deductions, point deductions for any wrong answers and players may confer.

So, teams, if you're ready, welcome to season 14 and good luck.

In 2022, Lin-Manuel Miranda's "We Don't Talk About Bruno" became the first song from a Disney animated movie to top the Billboard Hot 100 in nearly 30 years.

It's from what film?

Yes, Nora.

>> Encanto.

>> COSTA: Yes.

During photosynthesis, plants use the energy of the sun to change water and carbon dioxide into C6H12O6, a simple sugar better known as what?

Lexie.

>> Glucose.

>> COSTA: Glucose is correct.

In the novel Catching Fire, Haymitch is chosen as a tribute from District 12 to compete in the Hunger Games, but who volunteers to take his place?

Yes, Leah.

>> Katniss Everdeen?

>> COSTA: No, Melrose, you want to try it?

Yes, Lexie?

>> Peeta Mellark?

>> COSTA: Peeta is the answer.

Now take a look at your screen.

These are the Cosmic Cliffs of the Carina Nebula.

This breathtaking image was captured by what NASA space telescope launched in 2021 to find the first galaxies that formed in the early universe?

Yes, Spencer.

>> James Webb.

>> COSTA: Yes, that's correct.

Known for her roles as Mrs. Potts in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and Jessica Fletcher in the long-running TV series Murder She Wrote, what celebrated actress passed away in 2022 at the age of 96?

Yes, Sammy.

>> Angela Lansbury.

>> COSTA: Correct.

In 1589, Henry of Navarre ascended to the French throne as Henry IV.

He was the first monarch of what royal house that was in power until the French Revolution?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Bourbon.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Condoleeza Rice was the first Black woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state.

She served in the administration of which president?

Yes, Spencer.

>> George W. Bush.

>> COSTA: Correct.

In 2017, the Whanganui became the first river in the world to be granted legal "personhood."

Long viewed as a living force by the region's Maori people, the river is located in what country?

Yes, Sammy.

>> New Zealand.

>> COSTA: New Zealand is correct.

Take a look at your screens.

A very special guest, and a cool person with the next question, check it out.

>> Hi, I'm Brad Marchand, and I play left wing for the Boston Bruins.

Here's my question: in the NHL, how long do you stay in the penalty box for a minor penalty like tripping or hooking?

Is it one, two, or three minutes?

>> COSTA: Yes, Thomas.

>> Two minutes.

>> COSTA: Two minutes is correct.

And he would know.

(laughter) The chemical symbol Sb stands for stibnum or stibnite.

What is the modern name of this element?

Yes, Thomas.

>> Antimony.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What Middle Eastern city is the site of the Dome of the Rock, a holy shrine for both Muslims and Jews?

Yes, Will.

>> Jerusalem.

>> COSTA: Yes.

In 2020, what overtook auto accidents as the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States?

Is it A, drug overdoses, B, firearms, or C, drownings?

Yes, Thomas.

>> Drug overdose.

>> COSTA: No.

Melrose, you want to try it?

Yes, Spencer?

>> Firearms?

>> COSTA: Firearms is the answer.

In a nail-biting final that concluded in a penalty shootout, in 2022 what country defeated France to win its third FIFA World Cup title?

Leah.

>> Argentina.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What former president of South Africa who ended the apartheid system of racial segregation and freed Nelson Mandela passed away in 2021 at the age of 95?

Yes, Leah.

>> Tutu?

>> COSTA: No.

Melrose, you want to take a try?

(buzzer) F.W.

De Klerk.

What prominent American family of the Gilded Age built a famous mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, called the Breakers?

Yes, Will.

>> Rockefeller?

>> COSTA: No.

Melrose, you want to try it?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Vanderbilt?

>> COSTA: That is correct.

According to a 2018 study, 63% of women in STEM fields said they were inspired by what fictional forensic-pathologist played by Gillian Anderson on The X-Files?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Uh, Scully.

>> COSTA: Yes, Dana Scully.

Which of the following is a synonym for serendipity?

Is it A, humor, B, luck, or C, doubt?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Luck.

>> COSTA: Luck is correct.

What mountain in southwestern Russia is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains?

Yes, Leah?

>> Mount Elbrus.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What organ filters about a half-cup of blood every minute, which works out to be 45 gallons of blood every day?

Yes, Anthony.

>> Kidney.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What debut novel by Toni Morrison tells the story of a young Black girl who develops an inferiority complex because she has internalized white beauty standards?

Yes, Sammy.

>> Bluest Eye.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What lake on the border of Switzerland and France is the largest alpine lake in Europe?

Yes, Sammy.

>> Geneva.

>> COSTA: Correct.

What massive palace in Lhasa, Tibet, once served as the seat of the Tibetan government and the main residence of the Dalai Lama?

Is it Potala Palace, Mandalay Palace, or Amber Palace?

Yes, Anthony.

>> Mandalay Palace.

>> COSTA: No.

Melrose, you want to try?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Potala Palace.

>> COSTA: Potala Palace is correct.

A merciless police inspector named Javert hounds Jean Valjean all over France in what novel by Victor Hugo?

Yes, Sammy.

>> Les Mis.

Les Misérables.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Also known as thrombocytes, what special blood cells cause blood to get sticky and clump together, forming a clot?

Yes, Lexie.

>> Platelets.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What U.S. state is home to Mount Saint Helens, a volcano whose eruption in 1980 was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Washington.

>> COSTA: Washington is correct.

Adapted for film in 1975 and again in 2004, what satirical novel is about a woman who discovers the submissive housewives in her idyllic Connecticut town may actually be robots created by their husbands?

Yes, Spencer.

>> The Stepford Wives.

>> COSTA: The Stepford Wives is correct.

(bell ringing) And that is the end of the toss-up round.

The score right now: Concord-Carlisle, 60 points; Melrose High School, 190 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

Here we go.

(cheers and applause) Okay, the head-to-head round is up next.

First we're going to take a few minutes to get to know the players just a little bit more.

And the way we do that is with a question.

I have it in my hand and each of you will have a chance to answer.

We'll start over here with Concord-Carlisle, and you, Anthony.

Here we go.

What life lesson that can be applied to humans have you learned from an animal?

>> I mean, they say that curiosity killed the cat, but my cat's gotten a lot out of being curious.

So be curious and be inquisitive.

>> COSTA: Okay.

How about you, Thomas?

>> I think starfish are really inspiring.

They can lose an arm and grow it right back so they're really resilient.

>> COSTA: Oh, I never knew that.

Leah, how about you?

>> My favorite animal is the moose.

And they're corpuscular, so they get up really early in the morning.

And I think that's just a good life lesson in general.

As much as I hate to admit it, as a lethargic teenager, it's better to get up early.

>> COSTA: Well, I'm okay, I get up at 3:30 every morning.

I'm just saying.

Will, how about you?

>> For our world religions elective we chose the hermit crab as our spirit animal.

'Cause although they're weak, when they get into their shell, they can get really strong.

So working smarter not harder.

>> COSTA: Okay.

And now we go to you, Melrose High School.

We'll start with you, Lexie, how about you?

>> I think we can learn a lot from the mighty mouse.

But the most important lesson is to never trust random cheese you find lying on the floor.

(laughter) >> COSTA: Sammy, how about you?

>> See, you see a lot of videos online of like octopuses and how they can like fit through really tight spaces, how they can like open jars just completely on their own, and how they also have a really good memory.

How they've even been known to actually like trick like the people that take care of them.

And they say that they have the intelligence, approximately, of a six-year-old child.

So basically what I'm saying is beware of six-year-olds.

(laughter) >> COSTA: Sammy, are you looking at notes, or something?

How did you remember all that?

That's awesome.

Spencer, how about you?

>> From elephants I've learned... (trumpeting) I'm very sorry, it doesn't translate well into English.

>> COSTA: No, it kind of worked for me in some strange reason.

Nora, how about you?

>> My life lesson is more general.

It's the importance of symbiosis, specifically mutualism, and being able to work in tandem with other people around you.

>> COSTA: Okay.

For mine, my wonder dog Bessie, it's loyalty.

I'm just sayin', okay?

I got a little corny there for a second.

Okay, it's time to go head-to-head.

That means all of you are going to come out front and you guys are going head-to- head, so let's do it now.

(cheers and applause) Okay, in this round, correct answers add ten points to the team total and there is a ten-point deduction for incorrect answers.

If a player doesn't answer there is no impact on the score.

So, teams, the clock is set at 90 seconds.

You want to shake hands and get things started?

Okay.

So here we go and good luck.

In 2022 what K-pop band went on hiatus-- yes?

>> BTS.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What New Zealand city is the world's southernmost national capital?

>> Auckland?

>> COSTA: I'm sorry?

>> Auckland?

>> COSTA: No.

Wellington.

What Irish author wrote nine plays but only one novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray?

>> Oscar Wilde.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Name the only continent where venomous snake species outnumber non-venomous ones.

>> Australia.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Derived from the Greek word for "new," what chemical element has the symbol Ne?

(buzzer) Neon.

Who was president of the United States when the Panama Canal was effectively completed-- yes.

>> Teddy Roosevelt.

>> COSTA: No, Woodrow Wilson.

The taka is the unit of currency for what country formerly known as East Pakistan?

Yes?

>> Bangladesh.

>> COSTA: Yes.

After serving two terms as U.S. president, who built one of the largest distilleries in America at his home at Mount Vernon?

Yes?

>> George Washington.

>> COSTA: Yes.

In a high-profile trial in 2022, what singer won a copyright battle in England over his 2017 hit single "Shape of You"?

Yes?

>> Ed Sheeran.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Fern Arable is a kind-hearted young girl in what children's novel by E.B.

White?

Yes?

>> Charlotte's Web.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What is the most widely spoken language in Brazil?

>> Portuguese.

>> COSTA: Yes.

The lens of the eye focuses images onto what light-sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye?

Yes?

>> God, this is wrong-- cochlea?

>> COSTA: No, the retina.

What constitutional amendment prohibits any U.S. president from being elected-- (bell ringing) Ooh, that is the end of the head-to-head round.

Let's take a look at the score right now.

Concord-Carlisle High School has a total of 80 points; Melrose High School has 220 points.

How about a nice round of applause for both teams?

(cheers and applause) Okay, next up is the category round with the following categories: Hang 10; I Came, I Saw, I Conga'd; The Fuchsia Is Bright; Our Flag Means Death; The Hill We Climb; and Magical Thinking.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

Teams will each choose two five-question categories and will have the option to toss one question per category to the other team.

And players are able to confer.

So Concord-Carlisle, who's your team spokesperson, please?

Okay, Thomas.

And Melrose High, spokesperson, please?

It's gonna be Sammy.

So Concord-Carlisle, you have a little ground to make up, no big deal.

The good news is you get to choose the first category.

What's it gonna be?

>> We'd like to take Our Flag Means Death.

>> COSTA: Our Flag Means Death.

These are questions about pirates.

And for ten points: played by Taika Waititi in the series Our Flag Means Death, what pirate who operated in the Caribbean in the early 1700s was also known as Edward Teach?

>> (whispering): Blackbeard?

Blackbeard.

>> COSTA: Blackbeard is correct.

Now for 15 points: what fictional pirate in Peter Pan is described as an old Etonian who "was never more sinister "than when he was most polite, which is probably the truest test of breeding"?

>> Captain Hook.

>> COSTA: Captain Hook is correct.

And for 20 points: "The Major-General's Song" is a well-known tune from what Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera set in Cornwall, England, where piracy was once a real concern?

>> Pirates of Penzance.

>> COSTA: The Pirates of Penzance is correct.

Now for 25 points: with his parrot and wooden leg, Long John Silver greatly shaped the image of the pirate in popular culture.

He appears in what 1883 adventure novel by Robert Louis Stevenson?

>> Treasure Island.

>> COSTA: Treasure Island is correct.

Now for 30 points: in 1720 the English pirate Calico Jack was captured and sentenced to death.

What notorious female pirate, a crewmate of Mary Read, reportedly told her captain, "Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog"?

(whispering indistinctly) >> We'd like to toss this to Melrose.

>> COSTA: You're gonna toss to Melrose.

Melrose, do you have an answer?

(teammates conferring indistinctly) >> Anne Bonny.

>> COSTA: Anne Bonny is the answer.

And now Melrose High School, you'll need a category, you're up.

>> The same, those are my two.

>> Magical Thinking could be science.

>> Okay, let's go for Magical Thinking.

>> COSTA: Magical Thinking.

These are questions about fantasy literature.

And for ten points: in the Harry Potter series, the Weasley family's pet rat Scabbers is actually what wizard hiding in disguise?

>> Peter Pettigrew.

>> Yeah.

>> That's Peter Pettigrew.

>> COSTA: Okay.

Now for 15 points: in the novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which of the Pevensie children is the first to discover the wardrobe entrance to the world of Narnia?

>> (whispering): You're the one who read it.

>> (whispering): Pass?

>> (whispering): Pass or toss?

>> (whispering): Pass.

They're probably gonna know it.

>> We'd like to pass.

>> COSTA: You're gonna pass.

Lucy is the answer there.

Now for 20 points: A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings are the first two volumes of what epic fantasy series by George R.R.

Martin?

>> (whispering): A Song of Ice and Fire.

>> (whispering): I don't know it.

>> (whispering): A Song of Ice and Fire?

>> (whispering): Just go for it.

>> A Song of Ice and Fire.

>> COSTA: And that is correct.

Now for 25 points: in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy's magic slippers were changed to ruby red to show up more vividly against the yellow brick road.

What color are they in the original book?

>> They're silver actually.

>> COSTA: Silver is the correct answer.

Now for 30 points: what classic 1972 fantasy novel by Richard Adams is about rabbits trying to escape human intrusion and destruction?

>> (whispering): Watership Down.

>> Watership Down.

>> COSTA: Watership Down is the answer.

Now we go back to Concord-Carlisle, and you'll need a category.

What's it gonna be?

>> The Hill We Climb?

>> The Hill We Climb.

>> COSTA: Okay.

The Hill We Climb.

These are gonna be questions about mountains.

And for ten points: what mountain range in South America contains the highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere?

>> The Andes.

>> COSTA: Andes is correct.

15 points here: situated at the border of China and Pakistan, what mountain is second only to Mount Everest in height but requires far more technical skill to climb?

>> K2.

>> COSTA: K2 is correct.

Now for 20 points: with about 125,000 climbers every year, Mount Monadnock is often touted as the second-most climbed mountain in the world.

It's located in what New England state?

>> (whispering): New Hampshire.

>> New Hampshire.

>> COSTA: Correct.

Now for 25 points: Castle Mountain is one of the most photographed spots in Banff National Park, located in which Canadian province?

>> (whispering): Alberta.

>> Alberta.

>> COSTA: Alberta is correct.

And now for 30 points: Bran Castle, commonly known as Dracula's Castle, is built atop a cliff in what mountain range also known as the Transylvanian Alps?

>> (whispering): Carpathian?

>> (whispering): Sure.

>> The Carpathian.

>> COSTA: And that is correct, Concord-Carlisle.

Now Melrose High School, you'll need a category.

>> Wanna do Fuchsia?

>> Fuchsia?

>> Let's go for The Fuchsia Is Bright.

>> COSTA: The Fuchsia Is Bright.

All answers feature a color.

And for ten points: also known as "McCarthyism," what term refers to the hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the United States during the height of the Cold War?

>> That's the Red Scare.

>> COSTA: Red Scare is correct.

15 points: popularized in the 1890s to boost newspaper sales, what style of journalism emphasized sensationalism over facts?

>> Yellow journalism.

>> COSTA: Yellow journalism is correct.

For 20 points: as temperatures continue to climb, what Massachusetts state bird is among the scores of birds expected to disappear from parts or all of the state by 2050?

>> (chuckling): Red robin.

>> (whispering): I'm not sure.

>> (whispering): Do we want to toss it?

>> (whispering): Do we want to toss?

>> Let's toss this one.

>> COSTA: Okay, Concord-Carlisle, do you have an answer to this question?

>> (whispering): Chickadee?

>> (whispering): It's a color.

>> (whispering): Blue jay?

>> (whispering): Cardinal?

>> (whispering): Blue jay.

>> The blue jay?

>> COSTA: No, it's the black-capped chickadee.

Back to Melrose we go.

Now for 25 points: in a medical breakthrough that made headlines around the world, who was born in 1978 in England as the first baby ever conceived through in-vitro fertilization?

>> (whispering): We shouldn't have tossed that one.

(laughing) >> Yeah, let's pass >> COSTA: You're gonna pass.

Louise Brown is the answer there.

And now for 30 points: Neil Gaiman's short story "A Study in Emerald" is a shout-out to what novel that marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson?

>> (whispering): Scarlet.

>> (whispering): Study?

>> (whispering): A Study in Scarlet.

>> A Study in Scarlet.

>> COSTA: A Study in Scarlet is the correct answer.

(bell ringing) And that is the bell ending the category round.

And the score right now: Concord-Carlisle, 230 points; Melrose, 390 points.

Let's hear it for both teams, everybody, let's go.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we are heading into the final round of play.

It's the lightning round.

Correct answers add 20 points to the team's total.

And there is a 20-point deduction for incorrect answers.

And if a player doesn't answer, there is no impact on the score.

So teams, good luck, the clock is set, and here we go.

The world's first bobsled club was founded in 1897 in St. Moritz, in what European country?

(buzzer) Switzerland.

In astronomy, a nebula is a dark cloud composed mainly of dust and what gas?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Hydrogen.

>> COSTA: Yes.

In American folklore, Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack who has a blue ox named what?

Yes, Leah.

>> Babe.

>> COSTA: Babe is correct.

Name the only Republican senator who voted to convict President Trump-- yes, Thomas.

>> Mitt Romney.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What type of animal is depicted on the state flag of California?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Bear.

>> COSTA: Yes.

Considered the heir to Michael Phelps, what swimmer from Florida won five gold medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics?

(buzzer) Caeleb Dressel.

What Sebastian Junger book is about the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat that disappeared off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1991?

(buzzer) The Perfect Storm.

Sumatra and Java are among the largest islands-- yes, Will?

>> Indonesia.

>> COSTA: Yes.

A longshot at 80 to one odds, what horse won the 2022 Kentucky Derby in a stunning upset?

(buzzer) Rich Strike.

What major mountain range of western North America means "snowy mountains" in Spanish?

Yes, Spencer.

>> Sierra Nevada.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What new fantasy series on Amazon Prime takes place thousands of years before The Hobbit-- yes, Spencer.

>> The Rings of Power.

>> COSTA: Yes.

What color is traditionally worn by Muslim pilgrims during the hajj?

Yes, Leah?

>> White?

(bell ringing) >> COSTA: White is correct.

But that is the end of the game.

And the winning team this week: Melrose High School with a final score of 470 points.

(cheers and applause) And Concord-Carlisle finishes with 310 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

So Melrose High School has now earned a spot in this year's tournament bracket and moves on to play Mansfield High School.

But join us next week for the match between Andover High School and South High Community School from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Until then, don't forget, you can play a bonus round of High School Quiz Show on your Alexa or Google Home devices.

Just ask your smart speaker to play High School Quiz Show.

And we'll see you all next week on High School Quiz Show.

How about it?

(cheers and applause) You can watch High School Quiz Show any time on our YouTube channel, follow us on Instagram for a look behind the scenes and quizzes that'll keep you thinking.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more photos and video, and add some competition to your conversations by sending your friends High School Quiz Show GIFs.

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

>> Safety Insurance is committed to environmental sustainability and supports many local charities.

You can ask an independent agent about auto, home, and business coverage from Safety Insurance.

Safety Insurance: we'll help you manage life's storms.

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

>> The Museum of Science.

Trekking around the Arctic has never been easier.

You can get lost in the mystery and find beauty in Arctic Adventure: Exploring with Technology.

On exhibit now.

Only at the Museum of Science.

More at MOS.org.

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