Capital
Holidays
Waterways
Stuck in the 90s
Nursery riddles
(no minus points)
200

What is the capital of Turkey?

Ankara

200

"Silent Night" is one of the most famous Christmas carols. It was originally composed in 1818 and declared "intangible cultural heritage" by UNESCO in 2011. In what language was it originally written?

German - "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht" composed by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr near Salzburg, Austria

200

In 1936-1940, the Brno Reservoir (also known as Prygl) was built on top of village Kníničky. Formerly a water reserve for Brno, now it serves recreational purposes and is a source of electric power. What's the name of the river on which it was built?

Svratka

200

In this 1993 classic, Bill Murray is trapped in a time loop.

Groundhog day

200

What can you catch but not throw?

A cold

400

The capital punishment is a legal penalty in 27 of the US states. They all use lethal injection as the primary method, but there are states that keep other methods available to be chosen by the death row inmates. What was the method selected by Nicholas Todd Sutton when he was executed in Tennessee on February 20, 2020?

Electrocution (still legal in AL, FL, KE, SC & TN)

Also legal: Firing squad (UT, MS, SC, last used 2010) & Lethal gas (AZ, CA, last used 1999)

400

All employers in the Czech Republic are obligated to allow their employees to take days off work. What is the minimum of mandatory vacation days that all employees should be entitled to by the Labour Code?

4 weeks per year (20 days, newly counted as 160 hours)

400

Most rivers eventually empty into the sea. Which sea receives water from Brno?

The Black Sea

400

Considered one of the most influential rappers of all time, his life ended at the age of 25 following a drive-by homicide in Las Vegas on September 16, 1996.

Tupac Amaru Shakur - 2Pac

400

What is full of holes but still holds water?

A sponge

600

The word "capita" has many uses and derivations. There is "per capita" in statistics, capital cities, capital punishment and, of course, Capitalism. In Latin, "capita" is a plural form. What does it mean?

Heads (caput = head)

600

Copacabana is a famous disco song recorded in 1978 by Barry Manilow. But not only that, it's also the name of a neighbourhood that gave name to one of the most famous and beautiful beaches in the world. In what city is the neighbourhood and the 4 km long beach located?

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

600

What is the world's widest river, with a top width of about 11 kilometres during the dry season and up to 40 kilometres in the rainy season?

The Amazon

600

Also nicknamed The Flying Finn, this Formula 1 driver became the F1 World Champion in 1998 and 1999 in the iconic black & white McLaren Mercedes.

Mika Häkkinen

600

What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

Silence

800

First published in 1867, this foundational theoretical text in materialist philosophy, economics and politics had long-lasting impact across social sciences. What was this magnum opus called?

Das Kapital (Capital: A Critique of Political Economy) by Karl Marx

800

"Holiday in Cambodia" is a famous punk song originally recorded in 1979 about the genocidal dictaroship of the Khmer Rouge. What is the name of the band that recorded it?

Dead Kennedys

800

Building this waterway would connect three major European rivers and seas they empty in. It has been proposed since the Middle Ages and is now being strongly advocated by the Czech President M. Zeman, despite protests from environmentalists and city councils in affected areas. What is the proposed corridor called (named after the three major rivers)?

Vodní koridor Dunaj-Odra-Labe (Danube-Oder-Elbe Corridor)

800

Clueless is a 1995 coming-of-age teen comedy with a cult following and a continuing legacy. It was written and directed by Amy Heckerling, who based it on a novel by Jane Austen first published in 1815. What was the novel called?

Emma

800

What is always in front of you but can't be seen?

The future

1000

Tokyo became the capital of Japan following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. What city was considered Japan's capital before that?

Heian-kyō, now known as Kyōto (capital 794 - 1868, interrupted in 1180)

1000

In 862, Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that the Byzantine emperor Michael III. send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. The empire sent Cyril and Methodius, whose mission had far-reaching cultural, social and political consequences and is now being celebrated in several countries. On which date are the two missionaries celebrated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia?

5 July

1000

This sea route connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America. Navigating through this usually ice-blocked passage has been the goal of explorers for centuries, including Roald Amundsen who made the first complete passage in 1903-1906. Today, global warming might make it a globally important waterway. What is this passage called?

The Northwest Passage

1000

John Paul Larkin was a prolific jazz pianist and vocalist for several decades, but only became world-famous at the age of 53 in 1995 after releasing an album fusing a specific style of jazz singing and dance music. How is he known professionally?

Scatman John (author of single "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" 

1000

What can be found once in a lifetime, twice in a moment, but never in one hundred years?

The letter "M"

M
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