Who are considered the two founders of the Cubist Movement?
Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque
Picasso’s major works include Guernica, an anti-war mural and Les Demoiselles d’Avignon.
Braque’s major works include Violin and Pipe, Houses of l’Estaque and Violin and Candlestick, as depicted on the Question card.
Which country is highlighted in the picture?
Poland
Which two battles between the American colonies and British troops in Massachusetts were considered the start of the Revolutionary War?
Battles of Lexington and Concord
(1775)
The Battle of Lexington is also famous for Paul Revere’s advance notice “The British are coming!” that helped the Minutemen quickly assemble a small force at Lexington.
Lines of latitude run _______ to the equator while lines of longitude run _______ to the equator.
parallel, perpendicular
Both latitude and longitude are measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds.
For example: New York City is situated at 40.7128° N latitude, 74.0060° W longitude. GPS systems use such precise measurements to help orient navigation and weather equipment.
How long did the French Revolution last?
roughly 10 years
(1789-1799)
The French Revolution marked the end of the Ancien Régime, the absolute monarchy that had lasted for centuries.
It facilitated several important philosophies such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
What type of landform protrudes from a larger landmass, and is surrounded by water on three sides?
peninsula
Well-known peninsulas include the Arabian Peninsula, Alaska, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
What landmark became the tallest man-made structure in 2010?
Burj Khalifa
The Burj Khalifa is 2,722 feet (829 m) tall and is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Which classic author had a major impact on how crime scenes were handled by the justice system through the character Sherlock Holmes?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
(1859-1930)
Sherlock Holmes became one of the most vivid and enduring characters ever written in English fiction.
Doyle’s detective Holmes became popular because he was the first character to use forensics to solve a case. It should be noted that this was written during a time where most guilty verdicts were based on hearsay.
His stories emphasized the importance of an uncontaminated crime scene during police investigation.
What bone density-promoting mineral is found in dairy products, almonds, spinach, and okra?
calcium
Your body doesn’t produce calcium, so you have to rely on your diet to get the calcium you need.
The average adult needs 1,000 mg of calcium per day. The amount increases to 1,200 mg per day for women over the age of 50 and men over the age of 71.
A proper level of calcium in the body over a lifetime can help prevent osteoporosis, frail and porous bones that easily fracture.
What mode of government, practiced in the United States, entails power being spread out between a central political authority and its constituent political units?
federalism
Federalism is a mode of government in which power is spread out between a central political authority and its constituent political units.
The United States follows federalism, because power resides jointly in the federal government and in the government of the states.
Which religion believes the messiah will one day appear on Earth?
Judaism
Jews believe that a messiah (mashiach, “anointed one”) will one day appear on Earth.
Christians believe the Messiah has already come in the form of Jesus Christ and will eventually return again.
What type of financial institution, open to only institutional and high net worth investors, exists to maximize returns and eliminate risk?
(e.g. Bridgewater, Citadel)
hedge fund
Investment in hedge funds is only open to investors with large amounts of capital.
Some of the world’s biggest and best known hedge funds include: Bridgewater, Och-Ziff, Brevan Howard, BlueCrest, BlackRock.
Which U.S. president delivered the Gettysburg Address?
Abraham Lincoln
(16th President)
The Gettysburg Address was a speech delivered by President Lincoln on November 19, 1863 after the Union armies defeated Confederate forces in the Battle of Gettysburg, the Civil War’s deadliest battle.
The speech sought to give meaning to the sacrifice of soldiers who died during the war and is among the best known speeches in American history.
Correct the error in this sentence:
His love for sculpting effected me.
His love for sculpting affected me.
- affect (v.): to influence
- effect (n.): a result
Luciano Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, and Anna Netrebko are famous for singing what genre of music?
opera
Opera started near the end of the 16th century and is part of the Western classical music tradition.
The golden age of opera took place during the mid-to-late 19th century, which was led and dominated by Giuseppe Verdi in Italy and Richard Wagner in Germany.
Well-known opera composers included Mozart (who worked on a single opera for 11 years), Beethoven, Rossini, and Bellini.
What is the name for the learning disorder that confuses similar sounds or letters; reverses letters or words; or completely substitutes certain words for others?
dyslexia
One of the primary challenges with dyslexia is recognizing phonemes. These are the basic sounds of speech (the “b” sound in “bat” is a phoneme, for example).
Some studies show that nearly 5-10% of the population suffers from varying degrees of dyslexia.
What is the capital of Austria?
Vienna
What is the name for creatures whose body temperature varies based on the temperature of their environment?
cold-blooded
Warm-blooded (endothermic) creatures maintain a stable body temperature by converting food into energy. They include mammals and birds.
Cold-blooded (ectothermic) creatures include fish, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.
What is the name of the measurement used to measure the amount of water that could fit inside a 3-dimensional shape?
volume
Common volume equations include:
- Sphere: (4/3) x π x (r³)
- Cylinder: π x r² x h
- Square Pyramid: 1/3 x base area x height
- Rectangular Prism: length x width x height
What is the English translation of the famous René Descartes quote “cogito ergo sum”?
“I think, therefore I am.”
This is perhaps the most famous statement from the man often called the ‘father of modern philosophy’.
Descartes originally wrote this in French in 1637 as Je pense, donc je suis, but later included the better known Latin translation Cogito ergo sum.
Which two countries on the Mediterranean coast stand on land that was once inhabited by the Phoenicians, a prominent maritime empire?
Lebanon, Israel
The Phoenicians were a prominent maritime empire, establishing a far-flung trading network that ranged as far as Spain and North Africa. They also invented the western phonetic alphabet.
Little Rock is the capital of what U.S. state?
Arkansas
What country’s flag do you see pictured below?
Argentina
What branch of physics deals with mechanical waves?
acoustics
One practical application of acoustics deals with the design of buildings, such as concert halls and recording studios.
Recording rooms are designed to absorb sound, typically using a foam or cloth material. Concert halls, on the other hand, are designed to reflect and scatter sound.
What important discovery became landmark evidence of the Big Bang origin of the universe?
Cosmic Microwave Background radiation
(CMB)
The Big Bang theory describes how the universe started in a small, dense, and hot state, then began expanding and cooling.
CMB is leftover radiation and scientists consider it as an echo or ‘shockwave’ of the Big Bang.
What do we measure when we use the pH value?
acidity or basicity of water and other liquid solutions
Acids (low pH levels) and bases (high pH levels) have opposite properties and have the ability to cancel or neutralize each other.
pH values range from 0 to 14. Acids have pH levels that are below 7 while bases have pH levels above 7.
Examples:
- Orange juice is acidic and has a pH level of 4.
- Water is neutral and has a pH level of 7.
- Bleach is basic and has a pH level of 13.
What is high fructose corn syrup?
A frequently used alternative to sugar that’s prevalent in numerous packaged items.
You will find it in items such as soft drinks, condiments, and sweets.
What is the title of the famous epic poem attributed to the Ancient Greek poet Homer, which narrates the adventurous journey of Odysseus?
The Odyssey
