Tossup

Free pub quiz (global edition): week of October 12, 2026

24 questions in 4 rounds and a tiebreaker, with answers. Free to use at your pub, club, school or party. This is the global edition: no round of American sport, TV and geography.

Present it or print the answer sheetsBlank answer sheets

Playing in the US? See the US edition.

Round 1: General knowledge

  1. Which philosophical thought experiment asks whether a computer could give a disembodied mind experiences indistinguishable from ordinary reality?

    Answer

    Brain in a vat

    Also accept: BIV, Brain in a tank, Brain in a jar

    The brain in a vat imagines a removed brain sustained in liquid while a computer supplies electrical signals simulating reality. Hilary Putnam used the scenario to explore reference, knowledge, and semantic externalism.

  2. What Indian religion and philosophy is based on teachings attributed to the Buddha?

    Answer

    Buddhism

    Also accept: Buddhadharma, Dharmavinaya, Buddha Dharma, Buddhadhamma

    Buddhism is an Indian religion and philosophy whose teachings are attributed to the Buddha. It is also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya.

  3. What form of government vests political power in the people of a state?

    Answer

    Democracy

    Also accept: Democratic government

    Democracy is government in which political power belongs to the people or a state's population. Its dominant modern form is representative government.

  4. Which Greek mythological musician joined Jason’s Argonauts and descended into the underworld to retrieve Eurydice?

    Answer

    Orpheus

    Also accept: Orfeus, Orfeo

    Orpheus was a Thracian bard, legendary musician, poet and prophet. His best-known myth recounts his journey into the underworld to recover Eurydice.

Round 2: History & geography

  1. Which capital city straddles both banks of the Dnieper River and was the center of the first East Slavic state?

    Answer

    Kyiv

    Also accept: Kiev, Kievan Rus, Kiev Rus

    Kyiv is Ukraine’s capital and largest city, located on both banks of the Dnieper River. Under Varangian rule, it became the capital of Kievan Rus', the first East Slavic state.

  2. Which preserved ruin near the 1945 atomic-bomb blast site became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996?

    Answer

    Hiroshima Peace Memorial

    Also accept: Genbaku Dome, Atomic Bomb Dome, A-Bomb Dome

    The Hiroshima Peace Memorial, commonly called the Genbaku Dome, survived the atomic bombing and is preserved as a symbol of peace.

  3. Which Pacific Northwest city was named in honor of a prominent Duwamish and Suquamish tribal leader?

    Answer

    Seattle

    Also accept: Seattle, Washington, Seattle WA

    The settlement was named for Chief Seattle, a prominent 19th-century leader of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes.

  4. In what year did the Peloponnesian War begin when Sparta invaded Attica under King Archidamus II?

    Answer

    431 BC

    Also accept: 431 BCE, 431 B.C., 431

    The Peloponnesian War began with Sparta’s invasion of Attica, opening the Archidamian War.

  5. In what year was the Republic of Turkey officially proclaimed in Ankara, beginning the country’s modern republican era?

    Answer

    1923

    The Republic of Turkey was officially proclaimed in Ankara on 29 October 1923, with Mustafa Kemal as its first president.

  6. Which 2002 film follows a Polish-Jewish musician surviving Nazi occupation in Warsaw and won the Palme d'Or and three Oscars?

    Answer

    The Pianist

    Also accept: Pianist

    The film dramatizes Władysław Szpilman’s survival in occupied Warsaw and won the 2002 Cannes Palme d'Or. It also earned Academy Awards for Roman Polanski, Ronald Harwood, and Adrien Brody.

  7. Which remote Polynesian island, annexed by Chile in 1888, is famous for nearly 1,000 monumental moai statues?

    Answer

    Easter Island

    Also accept: Isla de Pascua, Rapa Nui

    Easter Island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 monumental moai, created by the early Rapa Nui people. Much of the island is protected within Rapa Nui National Park.

  8. Which English city was the seat of the County Palatine ruled by powerful prince-bishops, and is known for its Norman cathedral and castle?

    Answer

    Durham

    Also accept: Durham City

    Durham was the English County Palatine whose prince-bishop combined ecclesiastical leadership with local secular authority during the Reformation era.

  9. At which place did Marcus Agrippa defeat Mark Antony, ending Augustus’s chief rivalry?

    Answer

    Actium

    Also accept: Battle of Actium, Cape Actium, Ambracian Gulf, Gulf of Ambracia

    Actium was the site of Marcus Agrippa’s naval victory over Mark Antony in 31 BC, a decisive step in Augustus’s rise to sole power.

Round 3: Screen, stage & page

  1. Which television series follows a New Jersey Mafia boss who sees a psychiatrist for panic attacks?

    Answer

    The Sopranos

    Also accept: Sopranos

    The Sopranos follows Tony Soprano, a New Jersey Mafia boss whose panic attacks lead him to psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi.

  2. What nickname is given to Mozart’s Symphony No. 41, the last he wrote?

    Answer

    Jupiter

    Also accept: Jupiter Symphony, Symphony No. 41

    Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 in C major, his last, is known as the "Jupiter" Symphony.

  3. Which cast-iron and plate-glass structure, designed by Joseph Paxton, was built for the Great Exhibition and later relocated from Hyde Park?

    Answer

    The Crystal Palace

    Also accept: Crystal Palace

    Joseph Paxton designed the building for the Great Exhibition of 1851. After relocation to South London, it stood until a devastating fire destroyed it in 1936.

  4. In what year did George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue premiere at New York City's Aeolian Hall?

    Answer

    1924

    Rhapsody in Blue premiered on February 12, 1924, at Aeolian Hall in New York City, with Gershwin playing piano.

  5. Which 2016 black comedy horror film follows Ronnie, a disco-tour guide who secretly covers himself in grease at night to murder townspeople?

    Answer

    The Greasy Strangler

    Also accept: Greasy Strangler

    The film follows Ronnie and Brayden through an increasingly surreal series of murders, family conflicts, and bizarre transformations. It won The Discovery Award at the 2017 British Independent Film Awards.

Round 4: Science, sport & food

  1. In what year did Scottish physician Alexander Fleming discover penicillin as a crude extract of mould?

    Answer

    1928

    Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 as a crude extract of Penicillium rubens. The same year saw Mickey Mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie.

  2. Which Northern California region, home to Apple, Google and Stanford University, is the world’s best-known high-tech hub?

    Answer

    Silicon Valley

    Also accept: Santa Clara Valley

    Silicon Valley is a high-technology region in the southern San Francisco Bay Area, centered roughly on the Santa Clara Valley.

  3. What mould, called Japan’s “national fungus”, is used to ferment sake, soy sauce and miso?

    Answer

    Koji

    Also accept: Kōji, Aspergillus oryzae, Koji mold, Koji mould, Rice koji, Kōji-kin

    Koji (Aspergillus oryzae) turns starch into sugar, the first step in making sake and shōchū; it also ferments soybeans for soy sauce and miso.

  4. Which chess player was defeated by Deep Blue in its 1997 match against a reigning World Champion?

    Answer

    Garry Kasparov

    Also accept: Kasparov

    In 1997, Deep Blue became the first computer to win a match against a reigning World Champion when it defeated Garry Kasparov.

  5. Which French commune gives its name to a twice-distilled grape brandy made in the surrounding Charente departments?

    Answer

    Cognac

    Cognac is the French commune whose name is used for the protected brandy produced in the surrounding Charente and Charente-Maritime departments.

  6. Which Equatoguinean swimmer won a 100-metre freestyle Olympic heat after his two rivals were disqualified for false starts?

    Answer

    Eric Moussambani

    Also accept: Eric Moussambani Malonga, Eric the Eel, Moussambani

    Moussambani became internationally famous after struggling through the 100-metre freestyle at the 2000 Olympics. He won his heat because both competitors were disqualified for false starts.

Tiebreaker: closest answer wins

  1. 000 copies, how many copies did Illmatic sell in its first week in the United States?

    Answer

    59000 copies

    Also accept: 59,000, fifty-nine thousand, 59k, about 60,000, roughly 60,000

    Illmatic sold 59,000 copies during its first week in the United States. Its initial sales fell below expectations, even though critics praised the album extensively.

  2. Which section of the Judiciary Act of 1789 did the Supreme Court examine in Marbury v. Madison?

    Answer

    13 section

    Also accept: Section 13, Section thirteen, §13

    The Court examined section 13 of the Judiciary Act of 1789 and held that this provision unconstitutionally expanded the Supreme Court’s original jurisdiction.