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

It's the wild card match, with Deerfield Academy... (cheers and applause) ...taking on Milton Academy.

(cheers and applause) That's next, on High School Quiz Show.

(cheers and applause) ♪ ♪ (cheers and applause) >> HANSON: Hi, everybody, and welcome to the 16th season of High School Quiz Show.

I'm Joe Hanson, your host.

Before we get started, I'd like to welcome our teams and our audience back to the studio.

Give yourselves a round of applause.

(cheers and applause) 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, good luck.

To start off this match, we've got a special video question.

>> Hello, everyone, and welcome to the 16th season of High School Quiz Show.

I'm Susan Goldberg, president and C.E.O.

of GBH, and I'm excited to kick off our annual celebration of academic excellence, now a tradition for families, schools, and communities across the commonwealth.

First, congratulations to all of the teams participating this season, and a special thank you to the coaches, whose time and commitment make it all possible.

Okay, are you ready?

Let's get started with the first question of this year's competition.

In 2024, GBH's investigative series Frontline, together with the Associated Press, won an Oscar for best documentary for 20 Days in Mariupol.

The film is a harrowing account of Russia's recent invasion of what country?

>> HANSON: Nico.

>> Ukraine.

>> HANSON: Ukraine is correct.

"You'd have a decent book if you'd get rid of that Gatsby character."

In the 1920s, an editor wrote this to what author, who thankfully stuck to his original plans?

Nico.

>> F. Scott Fitzgerald.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

In the 2023 film Barbie, what character clarifies that his job is not surfer or lifeguard, but "just beach"?

Zach.

>> Ken.

>> HANSON: Ken is correct.

How many votes are needed to confirm a Supreme Court nominee, assuming all 100 senators are present?

Simon.

>> 51.

>> HANSON: 51 is correct.

Next question, take a look at your monitors.

This picture of an Adélie penguin comes courtesy of our friends at NOVA.

Of the 18 different species of penguin, only two, the Adélie and the emperor penguin, live exclusively on which continent?

Nam.

>> Antarctica.

>> HANSON: That is correct.

What iconic volcano near Tokyo is actually three separate volcanoes, one on top of the other?

Harwin.

>> Mount Fuji.

>> HANSON: Mount Fuji is correct.

Producer of the best-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller, what legendary arranger and composer passed away in 2024 at age 91?

Rhys.

>> Quincy Jones.

>> HANSON: Quincy Jones is correct.

Practiced by more than 300 million people worldwide, yoga originated about 5,000 years ago in what present-day country?

Rhys.

>> India.

>> HANSON: India is right.

In the fantasy novel The Hobbit, what strange, slimy creature who lives in a cave has been corrupted by a magical ring that he calls his "precious"?

Simon.

>> Gollum.

>> HANSON: Gollum is correct.

New research links early signs of Alzheimer's disease to proteins in what part of the eye that contains photoreceptors?

Nam.

>> Retina.

>> HANSON: The retina is right.

In addition to Italy, Vatican City, and San Marino, what country in Central Europe has Italian as an official national language?

Nico.

>> Switzerland.

>> HANSON: Switzerland is right.

Which of these geologic time periods is the oldest: Jurassic, Devonian, or Cambrian?

Rhys.

>> Cambrian.

>> HANSON: Cambrian is right.

Winner of 22 Grand Slams, including 14 French Opens, what Spanish tennis player retired in 2024 at age 38?

Rhys.

>> Nadal.

>> HANSON: Rafa Nadal is right.

The site of a decisive American victory over Japan in 1944, what Pacific atoll is now a national wildlife refuge?

Eli.

>> Iwo Jima.

>> HANSON: No.

Deerfield, you have an opportunity-- Zach?

>> Midway.

>> HANSON: Midway is correct.

Each year, thousands of small earthquakes occur along what 800-mile fault line in California?

Rhys.

>> San Andreas.

>> HANSON: The San Andreas Fault is correct.

We are off to a great start.

Let's take a moment to thank the folks who make this 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 Deerfield 60 points.

Milton has 90 points.

Let's get back to the game.

Sofia is the capital city of what country that formed most of the historical region of Thrace?

Simon.

>> Bulgaria.

>> HANSON: Bulgaria is right.

Recently adapted by Netflix, what science-fiction novel by Chinese author Liu Cixin features an alien race whose physical form is never described?

Simon.

>> Three-Body Problem.

>> HANSON: Three-Body Problem is correct.

Which of the following structures is found in plant cells but not in animal cells: cell walls, cell membranes, or cytoplasm?

Simon.

>> Cell wall.

>> HANSON: Cell walls is correct.

In 2013, British archaeologists announced that a chariot crash was the likely cause of death of what Egyptian pharaoh who ascended the throne around age ten?

Zach.

>> King Tut.

>> HANSON: King Tut is right.

Number 82 on the periodic table, what is the heaviest element whose natural isotopes are regarded as stable?

Harwin.

>> Tungsten.

>> HANSON: No.

Milton, you have an opportunity.

(buzzer sounds) Looking for lead.

Decorated with purple, green, and gold icing, what traditional Mardi Gras cake is a ring of pastry that often has a tiny plastic baby hidden inside as a prize?

Rhys.

>> The king cake.

>> HANSON: King cake is right.

Good luck if you get that baby, but bite carefully.

(audience laughing) Luanda is the capital city of what country in Southwestern Africa that gained independence from Portugal in 1975?

Rhys.

>> Angola.

>> HANSON: Angola is right.

Which of the following make up the largest labor union in Massachusetts: teachers, nurses, or service employees?

Zach.

>> Um, teachers.

>> HANSON: Teachers is correct.

In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is exiled from Verona for killing Juliet's cousin, a violent and hotheaded member of the Capulet family named what?

Eli.

>> Is it Tybalt?

>> HANSON: Tybalt is right.

The D.E.A., or Drug Enforcement Administration, was created in the 1970s under what U.S. president?

Rhys.

>> Carter.

>> HANSON: No.

Deerfield, you have a chance to answer.

Nico.

>> Ford.

>> HANSON: No, Richard Nixon.

Which country has the lowest elevation in Europe, with 26% of its land below sea level and an average elevation of less than 100 feet?

Simon.

>> Netherlands.

>> HANSON: Netherlands is right.

What term refers to the biochemical production and emission of light by a living organism, such as a firefly?

Nam.

>> Bioluminescence.

>> HANSON: Bioluminescence is right.

Meaning "film truthfulness," what two-word French phrase describes the documentary filmmaking technique of using handheld cameras and mostly impromptu, rather than scripted, dialogue?

(buzzer sounds) Cinéma vérité.

Thanks to the tombs built by the ancient kingdom of Kush, what present-day country is home to the most pyramids in the world?

Nico.

>> Sudan.

>> HANSON: Sudan is right.

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

The score is Deerfield Academy with 90 points.

Milton Academy has 170 points.

There's a lot of game to play.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) 17 teams earned a spot in this year's competition at our annual Super Sunday qualifying event.

In today's wild card match, Deerfield Academy and Milton Academy make their High School Quiz Show debut.

The winner today claims the final spot in the tournament bracket.

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

Deerfield, we'll start with you.

Harwin, you lived in Vietnam as a child, I hear.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: So how old were you when you moved?

>> My family traveled a lot.

Like, I was born here, but then my dad got a job which moved around Southeast Asia.

>> HANSON: You feel that that gives you, like, a different perspective on life, having been a global traveler as, as a young, wee lad?

>> Yeah, it definitely enforced some good beliefs into me.

I learned a lot about, like, just how to, like, explore.

>> HANSON: Hey, great-- open-minded, curious, I love it.

Theo.

You were born in New York City.

>> Yes.

>> HANSON: Do you want to claim a borough?

>> Manhattan.

Yeah.

>> HANSON: Manhattan?

All right.

Do you want to claim a baseball team?

>> Yankees-- sorry.

>> HANSON: Okay, we're okay, we're okay.

(audience laughing) What's it like growing up there?

>> So growing up, until you get to the age of 11 or 12, it's very limiting, because you have to be with an adult.

But the coolest part is that once you turn 12, like, the city, you can do, you can roam the city by yourself, and it's so cool being a teenager, just being able to explore one of the greatest cities in the world, in my opinion.

>> HANSON: Nice.

Zach, you're a black belt in karate.

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: How long you been doing karate?

>> Well, I actually quit, like, five years ago.

(laughs) (audience laughing) But I got to black belt then.

>> HANSON: You got there early, then.

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> HANSON: What drew you to martial arts?

>> I was pretty young when I started, so it was, like, good to learn some, like, solid values, like discipline, concentration, self-control.

>> HANSON: I'm writing this down.

Those sound like great things for my kids.

I would love them to have that.

Nico, you were born on New Year's Eve.

>> Yes-- or New Year's Day, actually.

>> HANSON: New Year's Day.

I always wonder what it's like to be born around the holiday season.

Do you get two parties, or do you feel like you're kind of getting overshadowed by the rest of the partying?

>> I usually do my party on, like, the 29th, because it kind of gets overshadowed, yeah, by New Year's.

So it's a little bit of a pain, but it's also cool to say that you're born on New Year's, so, yeah.

>> HANSON: That is pretty unique.

Also on the Deerfield team, we have alternates Juan and James, and coach Andy Newlon.

(cheers and applause) Now let's get to know the Milton Academy team.

Nam, I hear you memorized all the flags in the world.

How did you do that?

>> I played a lot of FIFA growing up, and when you play FIFA, you see, like, the players' countries represented with their flags.

And so I think over time, I just kind of internalized all of them.

>> HANSON: Well, I'm not going to ask you your favorite player.

What's your favorite flag from FIFA?

>> I like the Central African Republic flag.

>> HANSON: Ooh.

What's that look like?

>> I think there's about three, four stripes, and, like, some kind of symbol on the left.

It's really colorful.

>> HANSON: Nice.

Rhys, it says here you worked as an illicit crossing guard.

>> Well, yes, I did.

I was outside of the track, youth track place where I work, and I was asked to hold a stop sign that I guess was bought on eBay.

And turns out that holding a stop sign does not mean that you're just allowed to direct traffic, but I did.

>> HANSON: Did you get a whistle?

White gloves?

How... >> Well, eventually, a police officer rolled up and said, "You know, we usually have people for this."

(audience laughing) And so my stint was, was cut short.

>> HANSON: Pretty dangerous guy, living on the edge there.

>> (chuckles) >> HANSON: Simon.

You had your appendix removed?

>> Yeah.

(audience laughs) >> HANSON: In South Africa, I'm told.

Why'd you choose South Africa to go have your appendix removed?

>> Well, I think my appendix chose South Africa.

I was on a jazz trip with the school, and then one night, felt a little bit sick to my stomach.

The next thing I remember, I was in hospital.

>> HANSON: How's the appendix removal system in South Africa?

How does it compare to here at home?

I guess you only get to do it once.

>> Yeah, I only had the pleasure of doing it once, but it was very smooth.

>> HANSON: Glad you're here today.

>> Me, too.

>> HANSON: Unfortunately, your appendix couldn't join us.

(audience chuckles) Eli, you were born in London, I hear?

>> Yeah.

>> HANSON: Lived there for how long?

>> Lived there for eight years, so just less than half my life now.

>> HANSON: Growing up, part of your life overseas, how did... Did that change your perspective on the world at all?

>> I think it did.

Mostly today, it changed my spelling.

I always feel really unconfident whenever I'm spelling, you know, "color" or "favorite" or... Like, I've sort of learned at this point, but I always get, like, I always get a little, "Hm, is that right?

U or no U?"

>> HANSON: Well, you can always move to Canada if the spelling gets too difficult.

They're still doing that whole U thing up there.

Also from Milton, we have alternates Isa and Solomon and coaches Naomi Weinberg and Joanna Latham.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, it's time for the head-to-head round.

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

Clock's set at 90 seconds.

Why don't the two of you guys shake hands?

All right.

90 seconds on the clock.

Here we go.

What is the scientific term for the shoulder blade?

(buzzer sounds) Scapula.

Which American president passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of-- yup?

>> Eisenhower.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The Roche Division is a separation between rings orbiting which planet?

>> Saturn.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What country is home to an estimated 17,000 polar bears, about two-thirds of the global population?

>> Greenland.

>> HANSON: No, Canada.

In 2024, what company recalled thousands of its new Cybertruck pickups over... >> Tesla.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which organ in the human body can store enough Vitamin B12 to last for five years?

>> Kidney.

>> HANSON: No, the liver.

Who became known as the "Queen of Soul" after her 1967 re... >> Aretha Franklin.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In the days leading up to January 6, 2021, President Trump pressured what vice president to o... >> Pence.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 1939, the Southeast Asian country of Siam changed its name... >> Thailand.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What was the last U.S. state to join the union?

>> Hawaii.

>> HANSON: Yes.

The motto "All the News That's Fit to Print" appears on the masthead of which American newspaper?

(buzzer sounds) The New York Times.

In what classic children's book do we see "a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush"?

>> Goodnight Moon.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What large bird is the fastest animal on... >> Peregrine falcon.

>> HANSON: We're looking for ostrich there.

>> Oh... >> HANSON: What term for a paradoxical situation with an absurd, no-win... >> Catch-22.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which was the largest of the three sh... (bell ringing) We're looking for the Santa Maria on that last one.

That's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at our scores.

Deerfield Academy has 100 points.

Milton Academy in the lead with 220 points.

Let's give it up for both of our teams.

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

Today's categories are: All About Steve, Solve Your Own Problems, Jamaican Paradise, In Cold Blood, Hello Kitty, and Seven-Up.

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.

Deerfield, who's your spokesperson?

>> Nico.

>> HANSON: Nico?

Milton, how about you?

>> Eli.

>> HANSON: Deerfield, you guys have a little bit of ground to make up, so the first category goes to you.

>> Doing In Cold Blood.

>> HANSON: In Cold Blood.

These are questions about blood.

For ten points: what type of blood vessels use valves to carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart?

>> Arteries?

>> White blood cells?

>> No, what are arteries?

>> Arteries.

>> Arteries.

>> HANSON: No, veins.

And for 15 points: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended in what pale-yellow liquid component of blood?

>> Pass this.

>> Plasma.

Plasma.

It's plasma.

>> Plasma.

>> HANSON: Plasma is correct.

For 20 points in In Cold Blood: which blood type is called the "universal donor" because it is compatible with all blood types?

>> O negative.

>> HANSON: O negative is right.

For 25 points: in 2024, a 12-year-old boy in the Washington, D.C., area became the first person in the world to begin a commercially approved gene therapy to treat what inherited blood disorder?

(team whispering) >> Sickle cell.

>> HANSON: Sickle cell disease is right.

And for 30 points: what inherited blood-clotting disorder is known as "the royal disease" because it affected many of the royal families of Europe?

>> What?

>> (whispering): It's an easy one.

We should pass, not toss.

>> HANSON: Need an answer.

>> Uh... >> (softly): Pass.

>> Pass.

>> HANSON: We're looking for hemophilia.

Milton, next category.

>> We're gonna choose All About Steve.

>> HANSON: All About Steve.

Questions about famous men named Steve.

For ten points: what actor and comedian from Massachusetts is best known for playing Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom The Office?

>> Steve Carell.

>> HANSON: That's correct.

For 15 points: winner of six WWE championships, retired professional wrestler born Steven James Anderson is better known by what name?

>> (whispering): Steve Austin.

Steve Austin.

>> Steve Austin.

>> HANSON: Stone Cold Steve Austin is correct.

For 20 points: in the 1970s, who won Grammy Awards for his first two comedy albums, Let's Get Small and A Wild and Crazy Guy?

>> (whispering): Steve Martin.

>> (whispering): Steve Martin.

>> Steve Martin.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 25 points in All About Steve: widely recognized as one of the most prominent pioneers of the computer revolution, in 1976, who co-founded Apple Computer with his early business partner Steve Jobs?

>> Steve Wozniak.

>> HANSON: Steve Wozniak is correct.

And for 30 points: what Oscar-winning British director of 12 Years a Slave received a royal knighthood in 2022?

>> (whispering): Toss.

>> We're gonna toss this question.

>> HANSON: Deerfield?

Answer to you.

>> No, yeah, no, yeah, yeah, yeah.

That, that could also be it.

>> (softly): No, he's American.

>> (softly): No.

Just try it.

>> HANSON: We'll need an answer.

>> (laughing): I don't know, Steven Spielberg?

Though he's American.

>> HANSON: We're looking for Steve McQueen.

Deerfield, your next category.

>> (whispering): Solve Your Own Problems.

>> Solve Your Own Problems.

>> HANSON: Solve Your Own Problems.

These are questions about math.

For ten points: what is the greatest common factor of 15 and 6?

>> (softly): Three.

>> Three.

>> HANSON: Three is correct.

For 15 points: in Euclidean geometry, a parallelogram is a quadrilateral with how many pairs of parallel sides?

>> Two.

>> Two.

>> HANSON: Two is right.

For 20 points: find the third angle of a triangle if the other two angles are 38 and 24 degrees.

>> 128.

>> 128.

>> HANSON: No, it's 118 degrees.

For 25 points in Solve Your Own Problems: what is the amount of simple interest on $800 at nine percent over two years?

>> (whispering): 72.

>> (whispering): Dollars?

>> (whispering): Yeah.

>> $72.

>> HANSON: No, the answer is 144.

We're looking for two years there.

And for 30 points in Solve Your Own Problems: calculate the determinant of a two-by-two matrix where the top row is 6 and 6 and the bottom row is 1 and 3.

>> It's 12.

>> (whispers) >> It's 12, bro.

>> 12.

>> HANSON: 12 is correct.

Milton, final category to you.

>> We're gonna choose Seven-Up.

>> HANSON: Seven-Up.

All answers are seven-letter words.

For ten points: when George Washington crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776, it was his first move in a surprise attack against Hessian mercenaries in what New Jersey city?

>> (softly): Trenton.

>> Trenton.

>> HANSON: Trenton is right.

For 15 points: Northern Chile is dominated by what desert that's the driest place on Earth, other than the poles?

>> (whispering): Atacama.

>> Atacama.

>> HANSON: Atacama Desert is correct.

For 20 points in Seven-Up: a cruel headmistress named Miss Trunchbull is the antagonist in what children's novel by Roald Dahl?

>> Matilda.

>> HANSON: Correct.

For 25 points: five times a day, Muslims are called to prayer from what tall, slender tower that's typically attached to a mosque?

>> (whispering): Minaret.

>> Minaret.

>> HANSON: Minaret is correct.

For 30 points: thermodynamics deals with the transfer of heat energy within a system.

The amount of disorder or randomness in a system is called what?

>> Entropy.

>> HANSON: Entropy is correct.

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

The score is Deerfield Academy with 130 points.

Milton Academy with 390 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we're 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.

Clock is set.

Here we go.

What dialect is the official language of China?

Harwin.

>> Mandarin.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What Texas city is home to the Johnson Space Center?

Simon.

>> Houston.

>> HANSON: Yes.

In 2024, what British filmmaker won his first Oscar, for directing the biopic-- Harwin.

>> Christopher Nolan.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Jon Krakauer's best-selling book Into Thin Air tells the true story of a disaster on what mountain?

Nico.

>> Everest.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt served as governor of which U.S. state?

Harwin.

>> Massachusetts.

>> HANSON: No, New York.

In 2024, Sarah Snook won an Emmy for her role as Shiv Roy... Simon.

>> Succession.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Which of the seven colors of the rainbow is produced by the shortest visible light waves?

Eli.

>> Red.

>> HANSON: No, violet.

In July 2024, what became the first U.S. state to charge an 11% excise tax on guns and ammunition?

Rhys.

>> Massachusetts.

>> HANSON: No, California.

What American author wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court as a satire on the divine right of kings?

(buzzer sounds) Looking for Mark Twain.

Derived from a French word meaning "hook," what needlecraft surged in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Harwin.

>> Crochet.

>> HANSON: Yes.

What American novelist is known for her thrillers Sharp Objects, Dark Places, and Gone Girl?

(buzzer sounds) Gillian Flynn.

The highest point in Maine, what mountain is the northern end-- Nico.

>> Katahdin.

>> HANSON: Yes.

Italian for "little book," what term refers to the text of an opera or musical?

Rhys.

>> Libretto.

>> HANSON: Yes.

(bell ringing) And the winning team this week is Milton Academy with 410.

Deerfield finishes with 210 points.

Congratulations to both teams for a great game.

Milton Academy has earned the final spot in this year's tournament bracket, and moves on to play Somerville High School.

Join us next week for the match between Andover and Sharon, two veteran teams with something to prove.

That's gonna be a good one.

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.

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