Arts and Humanities
This play, set on a barren road with a leafless tree, was summarized by one critic as "nothing happens, twice." A man leads his servant by a rope as Didi and Gogo engage in mundane activities and conversations, while watching for the title character's arrival. Give the title of this absurdist masterpiece by Samuel Beckett.
WAITING FOR GODOT
This Canterbury Tale was based on a story from Boccaccio's [boh-KAH-chohz] Decameron [duh- KAM-er-un]. A nobleman abducts his own children, pretends to have them killed, and makes his wife decorate a room for his supposedly new bride. What is this story about patient Griselda?
(THE) CLERK('S TALE)
This question requires a decimal approximation. A right triangle has hypotenuse 20 units and shorter leg 10 units. To the nearest hundredth, what is the cosine of the smallest angle in this triangle?
0.87
These species belong to the family Poaceae and are notable for their columnar growth. A recent shortage in this crop in the Sichuan [seh-SCHWAN] province has been caused by its lengthy blooming process. What is this type of plant, which makes up the primary diet of the giant panda?
BAMBOO(S)
As governor of Maryland, this future vice president of the United States championed anti-pollution
laws and open housing. A supporter of the Vietnam War, he denounced anti-war protestors and accused Hubert Humphrey of being "soft on communism." Name the American politician forced to resign the vice presidency in 1973 after allegations of bribery and extortion.
(SPIRO) AGNEW
A tapered triangular glass-clad skyscraper in this city, designed by architect Renzo Piano [RIN-zoh pee-AH-noh], is known as The Shard. A notable hedge maze is part of the grounds of this city's Hampton Court Palace. Nelson's Column stands in a public gathering spot in this city's historic area of Charing Cross, Trafalgar Square. Name this city whose other major buildings include the Palace of Westminster.
LONDON
This playwright created Friends, The Ghost is Here, and Involuntary Homicide for his namesake theatrical company. A one-time member of the Japanese Communist Party, he saw Kangaroo Notebook, The Ruined Map, and The Box Map translated in both the East and West. Who explored myths and existentialism in his novel The Woman in the Dunes?
KOBO ABE [AH-bay] (Accept first or last or both)
A rectangular field measures 7 units by 4 units. A string is tied taut on opposite corners of the field. In units, how much string is between the corners?
(THE) SQUARE ROOT (OF) 65 (UNITS) (ACCEPT: RADICAL 65 (UNITS))
Compounds that contribute to this effect often have a high level of radiative forcing, and the clathrate [KLATH-rate] gun hypothesis does not bode well for the future of this process. A runaway version of this may have occurred on Venus, leading to its current high temperatures. What process that facilitates much of global warming is facilitated by namesake gases such as CO2?
GREENHOUSE (EFFECT or GASES)
The revival of this nation gained impetus in 1835 when Vasil Aprilov established a school in Gabrovo [GOB-roe-voh]. A premature uprising against Ottoman rule led to Russian intervention, and the epic battle against the Turks at Shipka Pass. What Balkan nation won its independence in 1878, and has its capital at Sofia?
BULGARIA
One of these texts describes weeping at the memory of Zion by the waters of Babylon. A notation that man’s days “are as grass” appears in the 103rd, which begins by stating “Bless the Lord, O my soul.” What 150 biblical songs, many of them written by David, precede the book of Proverbs?
(BOOK OF) PSALM(S)
This story, which begins and ends with the title character's funeral, includes flashbacks to her father's death and her fiancé's disappearance. A Southern spinster refuses to pay local taxes, and lives for decades with the corpse of Homer Barron, whom she poisoned with arsenic. Give the title of this William Faulkner story.
(A) ROSE FOR EMILY
This question requires a multiple answer. According to Descartes' Rule of Signs, what are the possible numbers of positive roots that the equation X to the eighth minus 4X to the sixth plus 12X cubed minus 4X plus 27 could have?
4, 2, 0 (ANY ORDER)
The constant in this scientific equation is represented by K-sub-H. A special case of Raoult's Law, this law explains why divers surfacing too quickly may get the bends and why soda fizzes. Name this law that relates the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid based on partial pressures.
HENRY'S (LAW)
It was divided into four regions known as campans, each of which consisted of "capullis." A noted invasion of this city included the La Noche Triste [NOE-chay-TREE-stay] event, and it is located on an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. Name this ancient capital of the Aztec Empire, near present-day Mexico City.
TENOCHTITLAN
This biblical character worked for seven years to marry Rachel, but was tricked into wedding her older sister Leah first. A patriarch, he wrestled with an angel, after which God changed his name to Israel. Identify this twin brother of Esau, son of Isaac, and grandson of Abraham.
JACOB
In this type of drama, a folded fan can represent a variety of objects, and actors deliberately move slowly. Actors in the two important roles--the shite [shih-TAY] and waki [WAH-kee]--wear masks to represent their emotions. Give the name of this theatrical form, based on scenes from lords' and ladies' lives in medieval Japan.
NOH
The sides of a triangle have lengths of 4, 8, and 9 units. According to its angles, what is the classification of the triangle?
OBTUSE (TRIANGLE)
One of this system's members is also known as Rigil Kentaurus [RYE-jel ken-TAW-rus], and it is an example of a triple star system. A star located at the outskirts of this system is a red dwarf, and is orbited by a planet denoted "B" that was recently bombarded by a solar flare. Name this star system, made of a binary pair and the third star Proxima, the closest to our own solar system.
ALPHA CENTAURI (SYSTEM)
A non-binding referendum on the independence of this region was held in November 2014. A year later, the region’s parliament voted to proceed with a peaceful disconnection from Madrid. Identify this area of Spain that includes the provinces of Tarragona, Girona [hee-ROE-nah], and Barcelona.
CATALONIA (Accept CATALUÑA or CATALUNYA)
This composer's Concerto for Orchestra premiered in 1943, two years before his death from leukemia. A piano professor, his early works imitated Richard Strauss [RIKH-ahrt STROUS], but folk songs influenced his later compositions. Identify the composer of The Wooden Prince and Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs.
(BÉLA) BARTÓK [BEY-luh BAHR-tawk]
This poem is mainly set at Hampton Court Palace, but the gnome Umbriel makes a short journey to the Cave of Spleen. After a card game, which the speaker likens to a battle, the Baron snips off a piece of Belinda's hair. Give the title of this mock epic by Alexander Pope.
(THE) RAPE OF THE LOCK
Two angles of a triangle have measures of 5 pi divided by 9 radians and 2 pi divided by 9 radians. According to its sides, what is the classification of the triangle?
ISOSCELES (TRIANGLE)
These elements once included aluminum, but with the Hall-Heroult [ay-ROOL] process, extracting it from bauxite became relatively cheap. A subclass of transition metals, they include ruthenium, palladium, and platinum, as well as gold and silver. Give this unofficial group of metals, so named for their relative rarity and high monetary value.
PRECIOUS (METALS)
During a tour of England along with the spiritual leader Tomocomo, she took the name Rebecca. According to many historians, the most popular story involving her was likely exaggerated, although the exact specifics of this seemingly selfless act remain unknown. Identify this daughter of Powhatan and wife of John Rolfe.
POCAHONTAS