Back in Time
Science Lab
Movies and Television
Where in the World?
A Little Bit of Everything
100

This document, signed in 1215, limited the power of the English king.

Answer: What is the Magna Carta?
Explanation: King John agreed to the Magna Carta after pressure from rebellious barons. It established the important principle that the monarch was subject to the law.

100

This is the largest organ of the human body.

Answer: What is the skin?
Explanation: The skin protects the body's internal tissues, helps regulate temperature, and provides our sense of touch.

100

This 1939 movie features the characters Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion.

Answer: What is The Wizard of Oz?
Explanation: Judy Garland starred as Dorothy in the beloved adaptation of L. Frank Baum's story.

100

This is the smallest country in the world by area.

Answer: What is Vatican City?
Explanation: Located entirely within Rome, Vatican City covers only about 0.17 square miles.

100

A word that reads the same forward and backward, such as "level," is called this.

Answer: What is a palindrome?
Explanation: Palindromes remain the same when their letters are read in reverse order.

200

This U.S. president was the only president to serve two nonconsecutive terms until Donald Trump became the second.

Answer: Who is Grover Cleveland?
Explanation: Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th president, from 1885–1889 and 1893–1897.


200

This element has the chemical symbol W.

Answer: What is tungsten?
Explanation: The W comes from tungsten's older name, wolfram. Tungsten has the highest melting point of any pure metal.

200

This actor portrayed Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.

Answer: Who is Gregory Peck?
Explanation: Peck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the principled Alabama attorney.

200

The Danube River empties into this sea.

Answer: What is the Black Sea?
Explanation: After flowing through or along numerous European countries, the Danube reaches the Black Sea through the Danube Delta.

200

In a standard deck of playing cards, this is the only king traditionally shown without a mustache.

Answer: Who is the King of Hearts?
Explanation: The King of Hearts is traditionally depicted clean-shaven, unlike the other three kings.

300

The ancient city of Pompeii was buried following the eruption of this volcano in A.D. 79.

Answer: What is Mount Vesuvius?
Explanation: The eruption buried Pompeii and nearby communities beneath volcanic material, preserving many buildings and objects.

300

This part of the brain is especially important for balance and coordination.

Answer: What is the cerebellum?
Explanation: Located toward the back of the brain, the cerebellum helps coordinate movement, posture, and balance.

300

This sitcom featured the fictional television network WJM-TV.

Answer: What is The Mary Tyler Moore Show?
Explanation: The groundbreaking sitcom aired from 1970 to 1977 and followed television producer Mary Richards.

300

This African country was formerly known as Abyssinia.

Answer: What is Ethiopia?
Explanation: Abyssinia was a name historically used for the Ethiopian Empire, particularly by Europeans.

300

This is the Roman numeral for 500.

Answer: What is D?
Explanation: In Roman numerals, D represents 500, while M represents 1,000 and C represents 100.

400

This 1803 purchase approximately doubled the size of the United States.

Answer: What is the Louisiana Purchase?
Explanation: The United States purchased the territory from France for about $15 million during Thomas Jefferson's presidency.

400

The boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing can escape is called this.

Answer: What is the event horizon?
Explanation: Once matter or light passes the event horizon, it cannot escape the black hole's gravitational pull.

400

In Jaws, this actor played shark hunter Quint.

Answer: Who is Robert Shaw?
Explanation: Shaw's Quint joins Chief Brody and Matt Hooper aboard the Orca to hunt the great white shark.

400

This strait separates Russia from Alaska.

Answer: What is the Bering Strait?
Explanation: The Bering Strait separates eastern Russia from western Alaska and connects the Arctic and Pacific Ocean regions.

400

This author created detective Hercule Poirot and elderly amateur sleuth Miss Marple.

Answer: Who is Agatha Christie?
Explanation: Christie wrote dozens of mystery novels and stories featuring the two famous detectives.

500

The 1648 Peace of Westphalia is best known for ending this devastating European conflict.

Answer: What is the Thirty Years' War?
Explanation: The war began in 1618 and involved many European powers. The Peace of Westphalia helped establish the idea of sovereign states.

500

This is the only planet in our solar system that rotates on its side, with an axial tilt of about 98 degrees.

Answer: What is Uranus?
Explanation: Uranus has such an extreme tilt that it essentially rolls around the Sun on its side. Scientists believe a massive collision early in the planet’s history may have caused this unusual orientation.

500

This 1950 film starring Gloria Swanson opens with a dead screenwriter floating in a swimming pool.

Answer: What is Sunset Boulevard?
Explanation: Billy Wilder's classic tells the story of faded silent-film star Norma Desmond and struggling writer Joe Gillis.

500

This European country is home to the region of Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains.

Answer: What is Romania?
Explanation: Romania lies in southeastern Europe. The historic region of Transylvania is surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains and is famously associated with the legend of Dracula.

500

The word "alphabet" comes from the names of the first two letters of this ancient language's alphabet.

Answer: What is Greek?
Explanation: The first two Greek letters are alpha and beta, which together gave us the word "alphabet."