| Introduction |
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xv | |
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Where is the world's largest waterfall? |
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1 | (1) |
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Where is the world's largest river? |
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2 | (2) |
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Where is the world's longest mountain range? |
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4 | (1) |
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Where is the nearest natural rainforest to Britain? |
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5 | (2) |
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Where will the lion sleep tonight? |
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7 | (2) |
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How did Tarzan get around the jungle? |
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9 | (2) |
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Which country has the second-biggest film industry? |
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11 | (1) |
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Name the only country in the world to have been officially accused of biological warfare |
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12 | (2) |
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Name a gas used on the battlefield in the Second World War |
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14 | (2) |
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Which kind of power station produces the most radiation? |
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16 | (1) |
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Why is gasoline called gasoline? |
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17 | (2) |
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Which company is the world's largest manufacturer of tyres? |
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19 | (2) |
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What are plastic bags made from? |
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21 | (1) |
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What is marmalade made from? |
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22 | (2) |
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Who invented the grapefruit? |
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24 | (1) |
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What's the world's most popular fruit? |
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25 | (2) |
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Why did Popeye eat spinach? |
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27 | (1) |
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28 | (2) |
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What does an elephant drink through? |
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30 | (2) |
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What always happens to couples who get drunk in Las Vegas? |
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32 | (2) |
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How old do you have to be for a Club 18---30 holiday? |
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34 | (1) |
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When should you report a missing person? |
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35 | (2) |
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How long does it take to play the `Minute Waltz'? |
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37 | (2) |
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What's the best kind of violin? |
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39 | (2) |
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Which day is added to make a leap year? |
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41 | (1) |
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Who brought the first Christmas tree to Britain? |
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42 | (1) |
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What did Prince Albert invent? |
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43 | (2) |
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Who invented the Nazi salute? |
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45 | (1) |
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In which war did both sides fight under the Union Jack? |
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46 | (2) |
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What colour are the flags on the Moon? |
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48 | (2) |
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What colour is the dark side of the Moon? |
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50 | (1) |
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What happens nine months after a blackout? |
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51 | (2) |
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When should you be eating for two? |
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53 | (1) |
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What was the first chainsaw used for? |
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54 | (2) |
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What was the best thing before sliced bread? |
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56 | (2) |
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Who invented the sandwich? |
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58 | (2) |
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Which country invented ice hockey? |
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60 | (1) |
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Which country invented the motorway? |
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61 | (2) |
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Why did motorists have to carry red flags in front of them? |
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63 | (1) |
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What kind of glass does the US president's car have? |
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64 | (2) |
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Would you take a bullet for me? |
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66 | (1) |
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What might you find in the average British courtroom? |
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67 | (2) |
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What's the oldest profession? |
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69 | (1) |
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Who first wore high heels? |
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70 | (2) |
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Name a traditional Italian bread |
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72 | (1) |
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Who first ate frogs' legs? |
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73 | (1) |
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What happens to most of the world's liquorice? |
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74 | (2) |
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Name the most important vow taken by Trappist monks |
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76 | (2) |
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Which town hanged a monkey thinking it was a French spy? |
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78 | (1) |
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What's the northernmost place on mainland Britain? |
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79 | (2) |
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Which country do missionaries go to more than any other? |
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81 | (1) |
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Where did the Mayflower land in America? |
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82 | (3) |
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What was the date of the American Declaration of Independence? |
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85 | (1) |
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When should you take down your Christmas decorations? |
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86 | (1) |
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Which holiday is celebrated on 26 December every year? |
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87 | (2) |
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Which seasonal event was `Jingle Bells' written for? |
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89 | (1) |
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Who should you visit on Mothering Sunday? |
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90 | (2) |
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How old would Jesus have been in the year AD 2000? |
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92 | (2) |
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What would Jesus' mum have called him? |
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94 | (1) |
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What was the name of the saint from Assisi? |
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95 | (1) |
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When was the name `Wendy' first used? |
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96 | (2) |
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What kind of reasoning did Sherlock Holmes use? |
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98 | (2) |
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What was the name of the cabin boy in Captain Pugwashl |
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100 | (2) |
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Name a piece of music written by Henry VIII |
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102 | (1) |
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What was the main event in a medieval tournament? |
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103 | (2) |
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Why was the Colosseum called the Colosseum? |
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105 | (1) |
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What is the name of the Queens official residence? |
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106 | (2) |
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How many English kings named Henry have there been? |
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108 | (2) |
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What dynasty did Henry VII and Henry VIII belong to? |
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110 | (1) |
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Which king of Scotland succeeded Macbeth? |
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111 | (2) |
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Which dog stood by his master's grave for 14 years? |
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113 | (2) |
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How did Pavlov get dogs to salivate? |
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115 | (1) |
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Why should you rely on the `wisdom of crowds'? |
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116 | (1) |
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Why should you avoid feral pigeons? |
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117 | (2) |
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How hot does water have to be to wash the bacteria off your hands? |
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119 | (2) |
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What would happen if the world suddenly stopped spinning? |
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121 | (2) |
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What is the deepest canyon in the USA? |
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123 | (1) |
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Where is the world's tallest statue of Jesus Christ? |
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124 | (1) |
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What species of tree is the tallest ever? |
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125 | (2) |
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Which way do sunflowers face? |
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127 | (2) |
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What colour is a robin's breast? |
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129 | (2) |
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Could you beat the king of dinosaurs at an arm wrestle? |
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131 | (2) |
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Which animal has the most teeth? |
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133 | (1) |
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How many claws does a lobster have? |
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134 | (2) |
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How do crickets make their chirps? |
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136 | (1) |
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How do cuckoos raise their young? |
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137 | (2) |
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139 | (1) |
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Which animal has the most genes? |
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140 | (2) |
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What is junk DNA good for? |
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142 | (1) |
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143 | (1) |
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Who invented the hovercraft? |
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144 | (2) |
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Why was the dishwasher invented? |
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146 | (1) |
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When was the selfie invented? |
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147 | (1) |
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When was `OMG' first used? |
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148 | (2) |
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Who wrote the first English dictionary? |
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150 | (2) |
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What is literally the most misused word in the English language? |
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152 | (2) |
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What does a cowboy call his rope? |
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154 | (1) |
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What kind of hat did they wear in the Wild West? |
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155 | (2) |
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Where is Harris Tweed made? |
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157 | (1) |
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Which bone of a whale is used for whalebone corsets? |
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158 | (2) |
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What's the loudest animal for its size? |
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160 | (2) |
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162 | (1) |
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163 | (2) |
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Where did the camel get its hump? |
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165 | (1) |
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What is Antarctica's largest native land animal? |
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166 | (1) |
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How high could a flea jump if it was the size of a human? |
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167 | (1) |
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What would happen if the population of China all jumped at once? |
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168 | (2) |
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Which island could the whole population of the world stand on? |
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170 | (1) |
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171 | (1) |
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What's the world's largest body of dead water? |
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172 | (2) |
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How many American Great Lakes are there? |
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174 | (1) |
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What are deserts made from? |
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175 | (1) |
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What is the ozone layer made of? |
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176 | (2) |
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Does the air get warmer or cooler the higher you get? |
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178 | (1) |
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Which humans have been closest to the Sun? |
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179 | (1) |
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How long does light from the centre of the Sun take to reach Earth? |
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180 | (2) |
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How much does a shadow weigh? |
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182 | (1) |
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What is the strongest creature for its weight in the world? |
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183 | (2) |
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What's the worst thing a swan can do to you? |
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185 | (1) |
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186 | (2) |
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Name a non-venomous snake |
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188 | (2) |
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Name a vertebrate with no backbone |
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190 | (1) |
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What kind of creature is a Portuguese man-o'-war? |
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191 | (1) |
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How many legs does the average animal have? |
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192 | (1) |
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How many legs does a kangaroo have? |
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193 | (2) |
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How many knees does an elephant have? |
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195 | (1) |
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How many sphincters do you have? |
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196 | (2) |
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Which finger would you sacrifice first if you had to? |
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198 | (1) |
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What happened to Walt Disney's body? |
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199 | (2) |
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What happened to the Mary Celeste? |
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201 | (1) |
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Who was the naturalist on board the Beagle"? |
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202 | (2) |
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What bird did the Ancient Mariner shoot? |
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204 | (2) |
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The sirens were half-woman, half-what? |
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206 | (1) |
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What did the Birdman keep in Alcatraz? |
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207 | (2) |
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Where is most of America's gold kept? |
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209 | (2) |
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How did Roman soldiers receive their salary? |
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211 | (2) |
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What killed most of the population of Pompeii? |
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213 | (1) |
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How many Spartans died at the Battle of Thermopylae? |
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214 | (2) |
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How many people were at the feeding of the 5,000? |
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216 | (2) |
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What did Mary Magdalene do for a living? |
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218 | (1) |
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219 | (2) |
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When did the first woman vote in Britain? |
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221 | (2) |
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What's the most dangerous sport for girls in America? |
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223 | (1) |
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How good was Kim Jong-il at golf? |
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224 | (2) |
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What is the brake man's job in a bobsled race? |
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226 | (2) |
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What's the main rule of walking races? |
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228 | (1) |
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How long are Olympic swimming pools? |
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229 | (2) |
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Name either the starting point or the finishing point of the Paris--Dakar rally |
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231 | (2) |
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Which country is the world's largest producer of Brazil nuts? |
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233 | (1) |
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What are the prickly bits of a rose called? |
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234 | (3) |
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What was the main use for pepper in the Middle Ages? |
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237 | (2) |
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Would you rather drink pure water or treated sewage? |
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239 | (1) |
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What's the quickest way to look healthy? |
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240 | (1) |
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How many portions of fruit and vegetables should you eat a day? |
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241 | (2) |
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What did the Famous Five have lashings of? |
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243 | (1) |
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Where was Juliet standing when she was wooed by Romeo? |
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244 | (1) |
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What did Napoleon say to Josephine? |
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245 | (3) |
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Who coined the phrase `Elementary, my dear Watson'? |
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248 | (2) |
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Who invented Pythagoras' theorem? |
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250 | (2) |
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Fill in the blank: `The Man in the_Mask' |
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252 | (2) |
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Which of the following is true of corrugated iron? |
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254 | (2) |
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What happens if you hit a diamond with a hammer? |
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256 | (2) |
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What shape is a snowflake? |
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258 | (1) |
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What happens if you shout in the mountains? |
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259 | (2) |
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When did the First World War get its name? |
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261 | (2) |
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What happened to crime during the Second World War? |
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263 | (1) |
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What was the average age of US combat troops in Vietnam? |
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264 | (2) |
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Which country's national anthem is `The Land of the Free'? |
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266 | (2) |
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What were the inhabitants of Mexico called before the Europeans arrived? |
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268 | (1) |
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Name the first great civilisation to mummify its dead |
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269 | (2) |
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Where would you find the world's largest pyramid? |
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271 | (1) |
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How did Vikings bury their dead? |
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272 | (3) |
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What can you legally do if you come across a Welshman in Chester after sunset? |
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275 | (1) |
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What landmark formed the northern boundary of Roman Britain? |
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276 | (2) |
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What's the nearest Third World country to the UK? |
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278 | (2) |
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What's the world's most overweight country? |
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280 | (1) |
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Which country has the most time zones? |
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281 | (2) |
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When was `time immemorial'? |
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283 | (2) |
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285 | (1) |
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How fast was the Earth's fastest mass extinction? |
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286 | (3) |
| A note on sources |
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289 | (2) |
| Index |
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291 | |
