T2W4 Jeopardy

Great Fires Presentation

100

Which emperor ruled Rome during the Great Fire of Rome?

Emperor Nero

200

What object did you need if you wanted a fire brigade to actually help put out a fire in post-fire London?

Fire Mark (Insurance Plaque)

300

Looking at the Great Fire of Meireki (in Edo), we argued that ‘greatness’ came from a ‘cultural ritual’. 100 points per stage of this ritual named.

1. Normalisation of “fires” as “flowers” in language, accepting it before it happens
2. Performance with the Hikeshi (firemen) standing on burning roofs with a Matoi (banner), turning it into a spectacle
3. Mujo, a foundational Japanese concept that life was fleeting, allowed people to move on immediately
4. Ukiyo-e, where the disaster is immortalised in art/hikeshi depicted as the real flowers, selling the legend to the next generation

400

Why did the media choose to cover Chicago’s fire over that of Peshtigo or Michigan? (each reason for 100 pts)

1. Chicago was an urban telegraph hub; the others were rural and had their telegraph lines (to Chicago) burnt down, thus able to communicate with the whole world
2. Economic hub, with many investments in the city, people cared about their money stucked in Chicago
3. News companies were based in Chicago, much easier to write about the story
4. It made great headlines/stories (Chicago as a rebuilding of America, the rest as a tragedy)

500

Great fires were often seen as acts of God. For 150 points each, name the start and end locations of the Great Fire of London, for 100 points, explain the superstition that spread from it, and for the last 100, describe the statue build at the end point and its meaning.

Start: Pudding Lane

End: Pye Corner (sounds like pie)

• The fire was seen as a divine punishment against the sin of gluttony, prominent amongst Londoners at that time
• The statue is” The Golden Boy of Pye Corner”, depicting a chubby boy to signify the sin of gluttony.

Nuclear - Misconceptions Presentation

100

What is the name of the power plant affected by a nuclear disaster that happened in 1986, USSR (current day Ukraine)

Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant

200

What was the direct cause of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011?

Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami

300

“This was a time of maximum energy waste in the early '70s before the so-called oil embargo.” -Ralph Nader, in justifying his anti-nuclear activism. What war triggered the 1973 oil crisis that Ralph Nader is referring to?

Yom Kippur War/1973 Arab-Israeli War/October War/Ramadan War

400

For 100 points each, explain the reasons behind Germany’s complete phase-out of nuclear power plants.

-Germany directly affected by the nuclear fallout of Chernobyl (10-20 times the normal dose at its worst)

-Increased reliance of pipeline gas from Russia via Nord Stream 1, Russia promoting anti-nuclear sentiment in Germany

-Fossil fuel company subtle smear campaigns of nuclear by partnerships with renewable energy (however, nuclear energy is non-renewable)

-Success of anti-nuclear protests in Wyhl

-Flaws behind dry cask storage in Germany– potential hazards of nuclear waste storage

500

Luisa Rey is a fictional Californian reporter who almost gets assassinated in a car crash after she gains information on potentially lethal cover-ups of faults in nuclear reactor Swanekke B.

 For 200 points, name the person Luisa Rey is an allegory of. 

For 300 points, using an unmentioned case study, explain why criticism of nuclear energy in the 70s and 80s could be justified.

Luisa Rey is an allegory for Karen Gay Silkwood.

Other notable case studies: Hilda Murrell (from the presentation), any other answer deemed acceptable

Explanation: Karen Silkwood et al are an example of understatements in media. Nuclear-frenzied corporations often bribed the media not to report extensively on such cover-ups and even assassinations of figures deemed dangerous. This turned people against nuclear energy especially when such things happened right before or after nuclear incidents such as Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.

Sustainable Finance

100

Which agreement standardised the 2 degrees Celsius cap on global warming?

The Paris Agreement

200

What is the annual meeting where member states of the United Nations convene to assess progress in dealing with. climate change and make a plan for climate action?

Conference of the Parties (COP)

300

State what Decision 1/CMA.6 (NCMG) is.

It called on scaling up of financing to at least 1.3 trillion per year by 2035.

400

What are the 4 key messages of COP30?

 (1 message 0 pts)

(2 messages 200 pts)

(3 messages 200 pts)

(4 messages 400 pts)

1. Paris is bending the curve-but 1.5 overshoot is near certain
2. Continued relevance of multilateralism alongside UN reform
3. Transition/Translation from negotiations to implementation
4. Connecting to real economy & people’s lives

500

Explain the “forward-looking” and “back-looking” strategies used in climate cooperation meetings, (200 points each) and the role of science in the strategies. (100 pts)

-“Forward-looking” refers to scenario-based predictions which helps to set targets

-“Backward-looking” refers to reflections based on past statistics (eg Rise in Temperatures, GHG emissions.

-Possible answer for role of science:

Satellite observations of CO2 and CH4 conc.

Linguistics

100

List 3 languages deemed as a nation’s official language in Southeast Asia. This excludes English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil

Tetum, Portuguese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, Thai, Burmese, Indonesian

200

What is the oldest reconstructible language that precedes modern European languages?

Proto-Indo-European (PIE)

300

The colour term hierarchy is the order in which colours are usually coined in a respective language. Stage 1 (i.e. the first stage) of the colour term hierarchy contains which two colours / shades?

Black and white / Dark and light

400

Everyone has their own unique idiolect, meaning linguists can uncover clues about the writer’s identity from analysing the way they write or speak. Hence, please explain the entire process of how Ted Kaczynski was caught using his idiolect.

• Two forensic linguists collaborated on the case of the Unabomber, analysing the Unabomber’s manifesto. They’ve noticed the Unabomber’s idiolect which made use of odd phrases, spellings and terms.
• Certain spellings in the manifesto rooted from the Chicago Tribune spelling reform, whilst other terms were either commonly used by middle-aged people in that era, or were terms that suggested the author was highly educated.
• A woman named Linda Patrik, whose husband was David Kaczynski, read a paper from the Washington Post which she thinks sounds like something Ted would write. David reported this to the FBI. Hence, details from the linguists and David provided information connected to Ted, leading to the police searching Ted’s cabin before arresting him.

500

The book “Gadsby” is a lipogram, a literary work which does not contain a particular letter. For 200 points, name who created the first lipograms, and for 300 points, name 2 of his works which are lipograms.(150 points for one lipogram)

Lasus of Hermione(200 points)

Ode to the Centaurs(150 points)

Hymn to Demeter(150 points)

Current Affairs

100

What is the name of the Strait that was closed by Iran (for a few countries)?

Strait of Hormuz

200

How was Ali Khameini, the second supreme leader of Iran, assassinated?

Missile straight towards his residence.

300

What did Trump threaten if Iran misses deal deadline?

”Whole civilisation will die tonight”

”We will not and won’t be the initiators of attacks on civilian targets, but we will not hesitate to retaliate against the vile aggression against civilian facilities”

(either for 300 points)

400

Artemis II is a ten-day mission that launched on April 1, 2026. 

Why was the moon-landing mission so significant to the US? (200 pts)

What was the significance of Artemis II to the moon landing mission (200 pts)

1. The moon is a logical place to send people, both as a place to explore scientifically, and as somewhere that could be mined for resources like frozen water for later space missions, and helium-3 for futuristic energy technologies. This marks a shift from symbolic landings to creating a sustainable, long-term human presence in deep space, expanding on exploration and innovation to resolve earthly issues.

2. Artemis II serves as a test flight to confirm the systems necessary to support astronauts in deep space exploration and prepare to establish a sustained presence on the moon. This serves as a critical, cautious stepping stone for the Artemis program. 

500

Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary to elect all 199 members of the Hungarian National Assembly. This was described as the most important election in the EU in 2026. 

Answer these two questions:

• What are illegal methods that Fidesz was accused of plotting to help Orban win the election (name 3 for 300)
• List 2 possible implications if the Hungarian Elections were to favour the opposition (Tisza) (each implication for 100 points)

Methods: 

1. Voters were offered money (around 50000 to 60000 forints) to vote for Orban. They were also offered food, medications, childcare, illicit drugs, and a drive to the polling booth if voters were to vote for Fidesz.
2. Fidesz was also accused of trying to blow up a pipeline that transports Russian gas to Hungary. This was intended to arouse enough sympathy for Orban to help his Fidesz party win the election.
3. Fidesz was also accused of collaborating with Russia’s SVR to plan a fake assassination plot on Orban. This was also to boost Orban’s campaign.
4. Fidesz was also accused of using state intelligence to fabricate covert, compromising, and sexual recordings against the Opposition leader.

Implications:

1. It will truly unlock EU-level foreign policy decisions on Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, as Hungary was infamous for vetoing these kinds of policies. This means a 90 billion euro loan to Kyiv will be made possible, aid packages would be sent to Ukraine, and Russia’s oil and gas imports will be phased out by the EU.
2. Hungary would be able to reach a consolidated democracy, with decisions taken for the good of the broader public rather than for narrow interests. Magyar will also most likely prosecute corruption and undo Fidesz’s democratic backsliding.
3. A more productive role in NATO would be expected from Hungary.