American History
Name any one of the U.S. states that were not one of the original thirteen British colonies but became a state in the 18th century.
Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee
The "Croissan'wich" is a breakfast sandwich innovation introduced in 1983 by what fast food restaurant chain?
Burger King
A scene in a season five episode of Happy Days, which first aired in September 1977, is the inspiration for what now-common pejorative idiom?
Jump the shark
What color represents the highest level ("Hazardous") on the EPA's Air Quality Index, is included in the name of pop music band whose last five studio albums have reached the top 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and is the name of a student newspaper at the University of Chicago?
Maroon
The name of what African country is contained as a word in the names of two other African countries?
Guinea
Name the political machine, originally a club incorporated in 1789, that 100 years later was a dominant and corrupt force in New York City politics?
Tammany Hall
What is the common term for the thick, dark brown, uncrystallized residue, similar to black treacle, obtained from cane or beet sugar during the refining process?
Molasses
The CW Television Network, which began airing in September 2006, was created through a joint venture that resulted in the shutdown of what other two networks?
United Paramount Network and The WB
British fashion designer Sarah Burton, who has served as creative director for the Alexander McQueen fashion house since McQueen's death in 2010, shot to international fame when it was revealed the following year that she had designed the widely lauded and influential bridal gown worn by whom?
Kate Middleton
What is the world's largest country by area in which Spanish is the majority language?
Argentina
What three words fill in the blanks in this quote, Article II Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution? "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other _______ _______ and _______."
High Crimes and Misdemeanors
Raspberry, cherry, grape, lemon, orange, and root-beer were the original six flavors of what drink, which was developed in 1927 and is now owned by Kraft Foods? Currently available flavors include tropical punch, strawberry, mixed berry, black cherry, and—oh yeah!—blue raspberry lemonade.
Kool-Aid
According to the theme to The Jeffersons, fish don't fry in the kitchen, while what don't burn on the grill?
Beans
What clothing item was so named by its creator, Louis Réard, in the hope that its revelation would create an "explosive commercial and cultural reaction" like an atomic bomb?
Bikini
The Caspian Sea is bordered by five countries: Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and what fifth?
Azerbaijan
What term was historically used for an educational institution whose primary function was the training of teachers? The term endures in the name of the Illinois city where that state's main teachers' college was founded in 1857 (and remains today, now called Illinois State University).
Normal University
"Lost bread" is the literal translation of pain perdu, which is best known in English as what?
French Toast
What name precedes the following phrases in titles of television series? House of Payne; Meet the Browns; Love Thy Neighbor.
Tyler Perry
What term for a particular type of house originated as a house for a European in India, usually one story surrounded by a veranda and with a thatched roof to protect from the sun?
Bubgalow
On one side of the standard Canadian two-dollar coin ("toonie") is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while on the other side is an image of what carnivore?
Polar Bear
The resolution by the US Congress in August 1964 that authorized President Johnson to escalate the Vietnam War is named after what body of water?
Gulf of Tonkin
A spice used in the Middle East and India (particularly in naan), also known as kalonji, black caraway, black cumin, or onion seed, has a name that is also the first name of a famous cooking show host, cookbook author, and television personality. What is that name?
Nigella
Sabrina Duncan, Jill Munroe, Kelly Garrett, Kris Munroe, Tiffany Welles, and Julie Rogers were television characters who were known collectively, at various times, by what name?
Charlie's Angels
The term for what philosophical doctrine, which is defined as a disillusioned rejection of conventional morals and institutions with the belief that life is without objective value or meaning, was first popularized by Ivan Turgenev through his character Bazarov in Fathers and Sons and later applied to others in the radical Russian intelligentsia?
Nihilism
Vermilion, Iroquois, Kankakee, Clark, and Wabash are among the counties that run along the eastern boundary of what U.S. state?
Illinois