Back to School
Ologies
This 'n That
Nature’s Wonders
F Is for Food
100

This is the name of the traditional event in American high schools and colleges that typically features a football game, pep rally, dance, and alumni events.

What is Homecoming? The earliest occurrences of homecoming celebrations date back to the early 1900s as a way for past students to visit their old colleges and show their school pride. It was celebrated with a football game in which the home team would face a rival team. By the 1930s, homecoming celebrations spread to high schools.
100

This is a set of doctrines or beliefs.

What is ideology? Ideologies are not limited to politics; they encompass science, religion, life, etc., and they can be theoretical or practical.

100

The first train car is sometimes called an engine. Its proper name is this.

What is a locomotive? There are approximately 30 different types of passenger cars, but not all cars will be on any train.

100

This natural water wonder spans Canada and the United States.

What is Niagara Falls? The three waterfalls have the highest flow rate of all falls on Earth.

100

Durum, semolina, self-rising, bread, and whole wheat are types of this.

What is flour? Flour is made by milling grains, beans, nuts, and seeds into a fine powder.

200

This 1985 coming-of-age movie tells the story of five high school teens serving Saturday detention together.

What is The Breakfast Club? The film earned over 50 million upon its release and critics said it was one of director John Hughes' most memorable works.

200

Tales of Roman and Greek gods and goddesses fall under this ology.

What is mythology? Three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were inspired by mythology: the Colossus of Rhodes, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

200

Prunes are made from this kind of fruit.

What are plums? Prunes are known for supporting GI health and also contain many antioxidants.

200

Fruit and vegetable production relies heavily on these stinging pollinators.

What are bees? Honeybees also provide food. Bees must gather pollen from around two million flowers to make a pound of honey.

200

The United States grows avocados in California and this state.

What is Florida? California avocados are primarily rough-skinned Hass avocados. Florida avocados are larger, have smoother skin, and are lower in fat.

400

 This is the name of the organization comprising  of parents, teachers, and school staff that is designed to promote parental participation in schools. 

What is the Parent-Teacher Association (aka the PTA)? The Parent-Teacher Association was founded in 1897 by two mothers and was originally called the National Congress of Mothers.

400

This ology is a collection of literary works.

What is an anthology? The Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise is a best-selling series of anthologies.

400

This is the world’s largest rainforest.

What is the Amazon? It’s about as large as the continental United States. It comprises 54 percent of all rainforests in the world and spans several countries in South America, with 60 percent of it in Brazil.

400

Today we have regulations and technologies to help lower carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But we still depend on these living things to pull the greenhouse gas out of the air.

What are plants or trees? In one year, a mature tree absorbs 22 pounds of carbon dioxide and releases enough oxygen for one person to breathe for two years.

400

This apple bears the partial name of a Japanese company that still makes camera film.

What is Fuji? The Fuji apple is one of the sweetest apples on the market. It was bred in Japan from two American varieties.

600

This is the nickname given to the group of Black students in Arkansas who enrolled  in a formerly all-white high school. 

What is the Little Rock Nine? After the 1954 Supreme Court decision, some states in the South defied the ruling. The Governor of Arkansas called on the state's National Guard to prevent Black students from entering all-white schools. President Eisenhower deployed federal troops to Arkansas to allow the Little Rock Nine to attend the school under armed guard.

600

This is the study of religious questions.

What is theology? During the Middle Ages, theology was known as the “queen of the sciences” because it was considered the universities’ highest subject of learning.

600

Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, and Marilu Henner worked for this company in the TV sitcom Taxi.

What is the Sunshine Cab Company? Andy Kaufman played the mechanic. All the taxi drivers except Alex (Hirsch) looked at the job as a temporary situation. Alex was convinced he would drive a cab forever.

600

This dwarf planet was discovered in 1930 and hasn’t made a revolution around the sun since then.

What is Pluto? It takes 248.09 years for Pluto to complete one revolution around the sun.

600

Dates are this dried fruit.

What are figs? Technically, figs aren’t fruit; they are flowers turned inside out.

800
The song "Be True to Your School" uses the melody from University of Wisconsin's fight song, "On, Wisconsin." The song is performed by this popular band from California.

Who are The Beach Boys? The song was featured on the Beach Boys' 1963 album Little Deuce Coupe and reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 after its release.

800

This ology is the study of the antiquities from the land of the pharaohs.

What is Egyptology? Egyptology includes the study of the pyramids. The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.

800

In 1920, this competitor of Macy’s hosted the first Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

What is Gimbels? The idiom “Does Macy’s tell Gimbels?” is a way to put off inquisitive people and imply that competitive businesses do not share secrets. Gimbels closed in 1986, but the expression lives on.

800

This peak in the Himalayan Mountains straddles Nepal and Tibet.

What is Mount Everest? Visitors who don’t want to climb to the peak at 29,029 feet can book a sightseeing flight.

800

Farfalle belongs to this group of Italian staples.

What is pasta? Farfalle looks like little bow ties and is one of the oldest pasta shapes. It dates back to the 16th century, when women would use leftover pasta dough to make the little bow ties.

1000

The main educational philosophy of the "three Rs" was emphasized in 19th-century schools. The "three Rs" stand for this. (Hint: only one of the words actually begin with the letter 'R')

What is "Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic"? The 3 Rs philosophy is traditionally credited to Sir William Curtis, an English politician and philanthropist. Curtis believed reading, writing, and arithmetic were the basis of education and that before moving on to more advanced subjects like history, one had to master the three Rs

1000

This is the study of the nature of disease.

What is pathology? Pathology is the study of disease causes and manifestations and provides diagnostic information and management protocols.

1000

This Eastern European country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1878 and has its own arc, similar to France’s Arc de Triomphe.

What is Romania? To celebrate its independence, Romania’s arc is known as the Arcul de Triumf.

1000

It is often repeated that this crustacean never dies of old age.

What is the lobster? It’s not quite true that they don’t die of old age. Many factors go into aging; one is the shortening of telomeres, which contributes to cell replication. As we age and telomeres shorten, it is more difficult for the body’s cells to replicate. While lobsters’ telomeres do not shorten like ours do, other factors do contribute to their aging.

1000

These are Mediterranean/Middle Eastern fried or baked balls or patties made with chickpeas, herbs, and spices and often drizzled with tahini.

What are falafel? Falafel are thought to have originated with the Coptic Christian Egyptians during Lent as a replacement for meat.