>> JOE HANSON: Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

Coming up, it's Lexington High School... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Maimonides School.

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

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Hi, everybody, and welcome to "High School Quiz Show."

I am Joe Hanson, your host.

This is the last of our qualifying-round matches, and it promises to be a great one.

As always, we start with the toss-up round.

All answers are worth ten points.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers.

And players, you may confer.

All right, teams.

If you're ready, good luck, here we go.

Which planet in the solar system is named after the Roman god of the sea?

Noah.

>> Neptune.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In 2024, Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of LeBron James, signed a multi-year contract to join his father on what NBA team?

Shishir.

>> The Lakers.

>> HANSON: L.A. Lakers is correct.

The first American novel to sell more than a million copies, what book by Harriet Beecher Stowe changed how many Americans viewed slavery?

Hayim.

>> "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

>> HANSON: Correct.

What Greek philosopher believed that life should be lived according to "the golden mean," a virtuous halfway point between two vices?

Atreya.

>> Aristotle.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For our next question, take a look at your monitors.

Pictured here is American biologist Dr. Nettie Stevens.

While studying mealworms at Bryn Mawr College in 1905, she found that females made reproductive cells with only X chromosomes, whereas males made reproductive cells with both X and what other chromosome?

Owen.

>> Y.

>> HANSON: The Y chromosome is correct.

What 20-year-old tennis player was chosen to be the female flag-bearer for Team U.S.A. at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics?

Joseph.

>> Coco Gauff.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

Known for being dense and difficult to read, what book on the ancient history of Middle Earth was written before "The Hobbit" but not published until 1977?

Hayim.

>> "The Silmarillion."

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Coined in 1958 by microbiologist Richard B. Roberts, what term refers to the primary site for protein synthesis in all living cells?

Shishir.

>> Ribosomes.

>> HANSON: Ribosome is correct.

My favorite organelle, if I'm being honest.

(audience laughter) Founded in 1725, Sobrino de Botín is the oldest continually operating restaurant in the world.

It's located in what capital city of Spain?

Alvan.

>> Madrid.

>> HANSON: Madrid is correct.

Take a look at your monitors for our next question.

We've got a special video guest.

>> Hi, I'm Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

Here's my question: in 1935, who took a position at Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury, England, where his experience teaching unruly boys would later serve as inspiration for his novel "Lord of the Flies"?

>> HANSON: Atreya.

>> Golding.

>> HANSON: William Golding is correct.

In 1971, "The Washington Post" challenged the Nixon White House by publishing what top-secret government report about the Vietnam War?

Alvan.

>> Pentagon Papers.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Which word is the English equivalent of the Latin phrase "modus vivendi": ingenuity, lifestyle, or wealth?

Shishir.

>> Lifestyle.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

With his starring role in "Oppenheimer," in 2024, who became the first Irish-born person to win an Oscar for best actor?

Joseph.

>> Cillian Murphy.

>> HANSON: Cillian Murphy is correct.

In a shocking upset on June 6, 2024, the United States defeated what South Asian powerhouse in an early round of the men's Cricket World Cup?

Shishir.

>> Pakistan.

>> HANSON: Correct.

Named after the French engineer who first described it, what effect explains why water and wind seem to veer to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern?

Shishir.

>> Coriolis.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

We are off to a great start, but let's take a moment to thank the folks who make "High School Quiz Show" possible.

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

>> From "Whoops"... (fire alarm blaring) ...to "Uh-oh" to "Oh, no," Safety Insurance can help you manage life's storms.

Even the indoor kind.

>> HANSON: Additional funding is provided by UMass Amherst.

>> At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a revolutionary spirit runs through our veins.

>> It inspires us.

>> To think in new ways.

>> To challenge convention.

>> We are committed... >> ...to the relentless pursuit of progress.

>> Be revolutionary.

(cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Welcome back.

The score is Lexington in the lead with 100.

Maimonides has 50.

Let's get back to it.

In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bankruptcy claim involving what family whose company, Purdue Pharma, produced the painkiller OxyContin?

Noah.

>> Sackler.

>> HANSON: The Sackler family.

Correct.

What English Romantic poet is known for works that touch on the supernatural, such as "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Kubla Khan"?

Hayim.

>> Coleridge.

>> HANSON: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, correct.

Who was the first person to serve as U.S. secretary of state, vice president, and president: John Adams, James Madison, or Thomas Jefferson?

Shishir.

>> Jefferson.

>> HANSON: Thomas Jefferson is correct.

What actor reprises the title role in the long-awaited "Beetlejuice" sequel?

Noah.

>> Michael Keaton.

>> HANSON: Michael Keaton is correct.

Even before its conquest by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, what empire in what is today Mexico had high levels of economic exploitation, with the richest one percent earning around 40% of the total income?

Owen.

>> The Aztec.

>> HANSON: The Aztec Empire is correct.

Poet Katharine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" after climbing Pikes Peak in what U.S. state?

Atreya.

>> Colorado.

>> HANSON: Colorado is correct.

OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, was founded in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and what South American country?

Atreya.

>> Venezuela.

>> HANSON: Venezuela is correct.

What Scottish American inventor of the telephone refused to have a phone in his study, fearing it would distract him from his work?

Atreya.

>> Graham Bell.

>> HANSON: Alexander Graham Bell is correct.

Athens became the cultural and political capital of Greece under what leader, who was responsible for building the Parthenon and the Acropolis?

Shishir.

>> Pericles.

>> HANSON: Pericles is right.

Discovered in 1978 by astronomers at the U.S.

Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, what is the name of Pluto's largest moon?

Owen.

>> Charon.

>> HANSON: Charon is correct.

NoViolet Bulawayo's 2022 novel "Glory" is a political satire inspired by the fall of Robert Mugabe, the former president of what country?

Atreya.

>> Zimbabwe.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

The Paris Opera House has a hidden underground lake and was the site of a deadly chandelier crash in 1896, elements that inspired what Broadway musical?

Shishir.

>> "Phantom of the Opera."

>> HANSON: "The Phantom of the Opera" is correct.

In 2024, actress Riley Keough, Elvis Presley's granddaughter, filed a lawsuit to stop the fraudulent sale of what historic estate in Memphis?

Hayim.

>> Graceland.

>> HANSON: Graceland is correct.

In 1974, what renowned British scientist combined general relativity with quantum theory to predict that black holes should emit radiation and eventually evaporate?

Shishir.

>> Hawking.

>> HANSON: Stephen Hawking is correct.

(bell ringing) That's the end of the round.

And the score is Lexington with 200 points.

Maimonides has 90.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Last week, Saint John's High School defeated North Quincy to move on to the quarterfinals.

In today's match, Maimonides from Brookline and Lexington are both hoping to advance.

The head-to-head round is next, but first, we're gonna take a minute to get to know the players.

Lexington, we'll start with you.

Owen, you can recite the alphabet backwards really fast.

>> Yes.

>> HANSON: And you know what comes next.

You're gonna have to prove it, I think.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: Okay, ready?

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: Go.

>> Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A.

(applause) >> HANSON: Nicely done.

How does someone decide to develop that skill?

>> If you're trying to sleep at night and you have nothing else to do.

(chuckles) >> HANSON: Well, you can always try counting sheep backwards.

I don't know what number you start from, though.

>> (chuckles) >> HANSON: Alvan.

I hear you really dislike coconut with chocolate.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: But what chocolate do you like?

What is on the yes list for you?

>> I really like Kinder Bueno.

It's really good.

>> HANSON: The Kinder Bueno?

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: You're an international chocolate guy, I like that.

Shishir, you love to read poetry.

>> I do.

>> HANSON: What do you get from reading poetry?

Is it appreciation of the beauty of the language?

>> Yeah, it's, it's pretty sentimental, you know.

Feel in touch with your emotions.

(chuckles) >> HANSON: Do you have a favorite poem?

>> There's a lot.

I like "Sea Rose" by H.D.

That's a good poem.

>> HANSON: Well, that's great.

If you, if you want to write me anything later, you know... >> I'll think about it.

>> HANSON: Okay.

Atreya, you collect Lego Architecture sets.

>> I do, yeah.

>> HANSON: What drew you towards the Architecture sets?

>> I've always loved geography, so I think naturally, I gravitated towards the Architecture sets.

>> HANSON: There are some pretty great sets in the Architecture line.

Do you have a favorite?

>> I like my San Francisco cityscape one, I think.

>> HANSON: How do you get the fog in there, though?

>> Mm.

(audience laughter) Might have to install, like, a mist-making machine.

>> HANSON: There you go.

Authenticity-- it counts.

Also on the Lexington team, we have alternates Adam and Eric and coaches Andrew Baker and Josh Olivier-Mason.

(cheers and applause) Now, let's meet Maimonides.

Making your debut on "High School Quiz Show."

David, you compose your own piano concertos?

Where has that taken you?

>> I just love musical expression, and I just like to play around with, like, classical themes that I hear from various composers, and I just kind of put it all together, and just make something really cool.

>> HANSON: Classical mash-ups.

I like that.

Do you have any favorite eras or composers that you like to draw from?

>> Yeah, like, the Romantic period, like, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff-- those are my favorites.

>> HANSON: Okay.

Special request: Mozart-Joplin mash-up.

Maybe we can talk later.

I think that would be a really fun one.

>> I'll send you a recording.

>> HANSON: Okay.

Hayim, you direct and act in plays?

>> Yes.

>> HANSON: Do you do that at the same time?

>> Often.

It can be a lot, but I find keeping myself occupied with both perspectives gives me a better handle on the total.

>> HANSON: Costume change!

Telling people what to do!

Get the lights!

Okay, I have a lot of respect for that.

(audience laughter) Noah, you can play around seven instruments?

>> Well, the numbers are debatable, but all I know is that David can play one instrument really well, and I can play a greater number of instruments than that not so well, so... (audience laughter) >> HANSON: Now, what instruments can you play?

>> Piano, drums, bass, ukulele, harmonica, saxophone maybe.

>> HANSON: Maybe you can play in one of David's concertos when he gets a full orchestra ready one day.

>> Hopefully.

(audience laughter) >> HANSON: Joseph.

I hear you're a three-sport athlete.

What do you play?

>> Soccer, wrestling, and baseball.

>> HANSON: Now, it's totally unfair to ask you to pick a favorite, but do you have a favorite?

>> Baseball.

(audience laughter) >> HANSON: Okay.

Now, did you pick those three because the, their seasons don't overlap?

>> Well, I picked those, those three because I thought their seasons didn't overlap.

I found out the hard way last year that wrestling and baseball can very much overlap.

>> HANSON (chuckling): All right.

(audience laughter) And rounding out the Maimonides team are alternates Shlomo and Daniel and coaches Alexander Uryga and Maria Lazebnik.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, it's time to go head-to-head.

In this round, correct answers add ten points to the team total and wrong answers result in a ten-point deduction.

The clock is set at 90 seconds.

Why don't we get a nice, friendly handshake to start off with?

All right.

Good luck.

Here we go.

Who is the author of a historic 1963 document titled "Letter from Birmingham Jail"?

>> Martin Luther King.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Chlorine and fluorine are in what state of matter at normal temperature and pressure?

>> Gas.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The powerful antiwar novel "All Quiet on the Western Front"... >> Remarque.

>> HANSON: No, World War I.

The United States doubled its size with what 1803 transaction... >> Louisiana Purchase.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Established in 1962, the elite fighting force known as SEALs is part of which branch of the U.S.... >> Marines.

>> HANSON: No, the Navy.

How many animals make up the Chinese zodiac?

>> 12.

>> HANSON: 12 is correct.

An eagle devouring a snake appears on the flag... >> Mexico.

>> HANSON: Yes.

A covalent bond is formed by atoms that share one or more what?

>> Electrons.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In boxing, what referee call is abbreviated TKO?

>> Uh, total knockout.

>> HANSON: No, technical knockout.

London's Royal Albert Hall is named after the husband of what British... >> Victoria.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Horseshoe Falls is the largest of three falls that collectively form what waterfall?

>> Niagara.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Massachusetts native Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and served as a soldier during which... >> Revolutionary.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What term beginning with the letter D refers to the type of fin found on a shark's... >> Dorsal.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What English king was overthrown and publicly executed... >> Charles I.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What major waterway that empties into the Caspian Sea is the longest river in Europe?

>> Uh, the Danube.

>> HANSON: The Volga River, no.

Stieg Larsson's... (bell ringing) Ooh, we were gonna talk about Sweden there, but that's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Lexington is in the lead with 220.

Maimonides with 140 points.

This is getting good.

Let's show a little love for both these teams.

(cheers and applause) All right, teams, it's time for the category round.

Today's categories are: Bewitched, A Czar Is Born, The Rat Pack, It Ain't Necessarily So, Proud Mary, and Moonshot.

All categories have five questions with increasing point value.

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

Players, you are able to confer.

Okay, Lexington, who is your spokesperson?

Atreya.

Maimonides, how about you?

Noah.

Maimonides, you have a little ground to make up on the scoreboard, so first category to you.

(team whispering) >> We're gonna do It Ain't Necessarily So.

>> HANSON: It Ain't Necessarily So.

These are questions about predictions that turned out to be wrong.

For ten points: "We are perfectly satisfied that the ship is unsinkable."

The White Star Line issued this statement on April 15, 1912, after losing communication with what ship?

>> The Titanic.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: on December 4, 1941, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox said, "Whatever happens, the U.S. Navy is not going to be caught napping."

Three days later, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on what naval base?

>> (whispers): Pearl Harbor.

>> Pearl Harbor.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 20 points: during President Nixon's final days in office, what secretary of state predicted that Watergate would be relegated to a "minor footnote" in history?

(team whispering) >> We're gonna pass.

>> HANSON: Henry Kissinger is who we're looking for there.

For 25 points in It Ain't Necessarily So: "Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote."

Who said this in 1905, after serving as both the 22nd and 24th president of the United States?

>> (whispers): Grover Cleveland.

>> Grover Cleveland.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

And for 30 points: "I believe it is peace for our time."

What British prime minister said this in 1938, after allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland?

>> Neville Chamberlain.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

Lexington, your category.

>> A Czar Is Born.

>> HANSON: A Czar Is Born.

These are questions about Russia.

For ten points: Russian President Vladimir Putin once worked as a spy for what Soviet-era intelligence agency?

>> (whispers): KGB?

>> (whispers): Yes.

>> KGB.

>> HANSON: The KGB is correct.

For 15 points: known as "the mad monk," what self-proclaimed holy man was murdered in 1916 by a group of Russian aristocrats eager to end his influence over the royal family?

>> Rasputin.

>> HANSON: Rasputin is correct.

For 20 points in A Czar Is Born: Catherine the Great wrote the playbook for a successful vaccine rollout throughout the Russian Empire.

In a risky experiment in 1768, Catherine and her son Paul were inoculated against what deadly disease sweeping through Europe?

>> Smallpox.

>> HANSON: Smallpox is correct.

For 25 points in A Czar Is Born: Russia's invasion of the Crimean Peninsula took place during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which were officially hosted by what Russian city on the Black Sea?

>> Sochi.

>> HANSON: Sochi is correct.

And for 30 points: controlled until 2023 by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, what notorious paramilitary group played a significant role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022?

(team whispering) >> "Wagner" Group.

>> HANSON: We will take "Wagner," but it's "Vahgner" Group.

The Wagner Group.

Maimonides, next category to you.

>> We're gonna do Moonshot.

>> HANSON: Moonshot.

Questions in this category are about the moon.

For ten points: in January 2024, just five months after India became the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, what country became the fifth?

>> (whispers): Japan.

>> Japan.

>> HANSON: Japan is correct.

For 15 points: in 2023, what aerospace company founded by Jeff Bezos won a NASA contract to land astronauts on the moon?

>> (whispers): Blue Origin.

>> Blue Origin.

>> HANSON: Blue Origin is correct.

For 20 points: Latin for "shade," what five-letter word describes the complete shadow cast by the moon onto the Earth during a total solar eclipse?

>> (whispers): Umbra.

>> Umbra.

>> HANSON: Umbra is correct.

For 25 points in Moonshot: when the moon is new or full, oceans have very high tides called spring tides.

During the moon's quarter phases, oceans have comparatively lower high tides that are called what?

(team whispering) >> Fall tides.

>> HANSON: No, we're looking for neap tides.

And for 30 points: who was dubbed "the loneliest man in history" for his role piloting the Apollo 11 command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took the first steps on the moon?

>> (whispers): No, they're gonna know-- pass.

>> We're gonna pass.

>> HANSON: Michael Collins was that astronaut.

Lexington, final category to you.

>> We'll go with The Rat Pack.

>> HANSON: The Rat Pack.

These are questions about rodents.

For ten points: weighing up to 140 pounds, the capybara is the world's largest rodent.

It's native to which of the seven continents?

>> (whispers): South America.

>> South America.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

For 15 points: fed up with a woodchuck that was eating his bean patch, what author of "Walden" abandoned his not-too-strongly- held vegetarian principles and then trapped, killed, and ate it?

>> Thoreau.

>> HANSON: Thoreau is correct.

For 20 points: in the "Harry Potter" series, Peter Pettigrew goes into hiding by transforming himself into a pet rat named what?

>> (whispers): Scrabbers.

>> (whispers): Should I pass?

>> (whispers): Scabbers.

Scabbers.

Scabbers.

>> (whispers): Scabbers?

>> (whispers): Scabbers.

>> (whispers): Scabbers.

>> Scabbers.

>> HANSON: Scabbers is correct.

For 25 points in The Rat Pack: in the Fire Swamp scene in "The Princess Bride," Westley and Buttercup encounter what terrifying creatures known as R.O.U.Ses.?

>> (whispers): I know, I watched it.

>> (whispers): I might pass.

>> (whispers): Just pass.

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: Rodents of Unusual Size.

(audience chuckles) For 30 points: (imitating): "To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case, my enemy is a varmint."

Bill Murray says this as an oddball greenskeeper who battles with a gopher in what 1980 comedy set at an exclusive golf course?

>> (whispers): "Happy Gilmore"?

>> (whispers): Nah, nah.

>> (whispers): Okay, pass.

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: That movie is "Caddyshack."

(bell ringing) That is the end of the category round.

The score is Lexington in the lead with 365 points.

Maimonides is trailing with 240 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) We are heading into the final round of play, the lightning round.

Correct answers add 20 points to the team total and there is a 20-point deduction for incorrect answers.

A lot can still happen.

The clock is set.

Here we go.

What city is the setting for the children's book "Make Way for Ducklings"?

Joseph.

>> Boston.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In a December 1963 interview, Jackie Kennedy compared the Kennedy administration to what place in Arthurian legend?

Hayim.

>> Camelot.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What modern-day kitchen appliance was once known as the Radarange?

David.

>> Microwave.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Methane is a mixture of carbon and what other... Atreya.

>> Hydrogen.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What former member of the girl group Fifth Harmony is known for songs like "Havana" and "Señorita"?

Noah.

>> Camila Cabello.

>> HANSON: Yes.

During the 1967 Summer of Love, thousands of "flower children" flooded the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of which city?

Shishir.

>> San Francisco.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 2005, what became the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage?

Noah.

>> America.

>> HANSON: No, Canada.

Which U.S. state is nicknamed "the Wolverine State"?

Atreya.

>> Michigan.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What five-letter word refers to a traditional Creole soup that's the official state cuisine... Owen.

>> Gumbo.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What city in Southern Massachusetts is home to Battleship Cove and the Lizzie Borden House?

(buzzer sounds) Fall River.

By definition, a velodrome is an arena built for what kind of racing?

(buzzer sounds) Bicycle.

The Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution, took place in what U.S. state?

Alvan.

>> Virginia.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In "The Great Gatsby," Jay Gatsby is in love with what beautiful socialite... Shishir.

>> Daisy.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The word sauna... (bell ringing) Ooh.

And the winning team this week is Lexington with 485 points.

Maimonides finishes with 300 points.

(cheers and applause) Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

Lexington now moves on to the quarterfinals to play Saint John's High School.

Join us next week for our first quarterfinal match between Andover High School and Somerville High School.

This competition is heating up, folks, so be sure to join us right here on "High School Quiz Show."

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ Major funding for "High School Quiz Show" is provided by Safety Insurance.

>> Boston traffic is the worst.

Safety Insurance offers auto insurance policies designed to help for when the worst happens.

You can ask an independent agent about Safety Insurance.

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

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

♪ ♪ (crowd cheers and applauds) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (cheering and applause) (cheers and applause) ♪ ♪