Literature
Science & Nature
World Geography
U.S. History
Pop Culture
100

In Homer’s Iliad, this warrior is killed when Paris shoots an arrow guided by Apollo

Achilles

100

In Einstein’s famous equation E=mc², the “c” represents this.

speed of light

100

The line of latitude at 66.5° N is known by this name

Arctic Circle

100

The U.S. acquired the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico following this 1898 war.

Spanish-American War

100

This film won Best Picture at the first Academy Awards in 1929

Wings

200

This novel begins, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

200

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle deals with the measurement of these two properties of a particle.

Position and Momentum

200

This Asian capital city, known historically as Edo, was renamed in 1868

Tokyo

200

The U.S. entered World War I in this year

1917

200

This Beatle was the first to release a solo album after the band’s breakup (from the Beatles Band)

George Harrison

300

This epic poem begins with the line “Sing, O Muse, of the wrath of Achilles."

Iliad

300

The longest nerve in the human body, running from the spine down the leg

Sciatic nerve

300

The Strait of Malacca separates the Malay Peninsula from this large Indonesian island

Sumatra

300

This future president commanded U.S. forces at the Battle of New Orleans in 1815

Andrew Jackson


300

This cult TV show created by David Lynch takes place in a town “where the owls are not what they seem.

Twin Peaks

400

This author coined the term “Catch-22.”

Joseph Heller

400

Discovered in 1953 by Watson and Crick, the structure of DNA is known as this

Double Helix

400

This is the only sea on Earth with no coastline

Sargasso Sea

400

The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act effectively repealed this earlier compromise

Missouri Compromise

400

The TV drama The Sopranos is set in this U.S. state

New Jersey

500

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, this ancient Roman poet serves as Dante’s guide through Hell and Purgatory

Virgil

500

This part of the brain, located at the back of the skull, coordinates voluntary movement and balance

Cerebellum

500

This mountain, whose name means “Five Treasures of Snow,” is the third-highest peak in the world

Kangchenjunga

500

This third-party presidential candidate in 1912 won more electoral votes than the sitting president, splitting the Republican vote.

Theodore Roosevelt (Progressive/Bull Moose Party)

500

This actress won an Oscar for her role as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs

Jodie Foster

600

The character of Atticus Finch appears in this Pulitzer Prize–winning novel

Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

600

This branch of biology deals with the study of fungi

mycology

600

Of the seven continents, this one has the highest average elevation

Antarctica

600

The U.S. acquired Alaska from this nation in 1867, in a deal nicknamed “Seward’s Folly.”

Russia

600

This Dutch painter is known for his Sunflowers and Starry Night

Vincent Van Gogh