>> BILLY COSTA: Coming up on High School Quiz Show, it's the wild card match between Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge... (fanfare plays) ...and Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

And that's next on High School Quiz Show.

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>> ♪ This is what it sounds like ♪ ♪ ♪ >> COSTA: Hi, everybody, and welcome to the 13th season of High School Quiz Show.

I'm Billy Costa, your host.

And we had hoped we'd all be back together in studio again this year, but as it turns out, I'm here, and you're still there.

We'll have to make the best of it, and we will.

So as they do every single year, teams from across the commonwealth competed in our incredible Super Sunday qualifying event.

Now, 17 of those teams earned a spot in this year's competition, and they are all hoping to become the next High School Quiz Show state champion.

In today's match, direct from the comfort of their own homes, of course, we have Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, A.K.A.

BB&N, making their Quiz Show debut.

We also welcome back Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School.

And on the BB&N team, we have Bradford.

Bradford, how're you doing, buddy?

>> I'm doing well.

How are you?

>> COSTA: Good, how you're surviving everything, okay?

>> Things are great.

>> COSTA: All right.

Also Emily, how are you, Emily?

>> I'm great.

How are you?

>> COSTA: Good.

You look comfy-cozy in there.

>> I am.

>> COSTA: Henry, how are you doing?

>> I'm doing well, Billy, how are you?

>> COSTA: I'm doing just fine.

And, Aaron, how're you doing, my friend?

>> I'm doing great.

How are you?

>> COSTA: All right.

We also have alternate Elliot and coach Sinan Parsons.

And competing for Lincoln-Sudbury, well, we have Jack-- hey, Jack, how're you doing there?

>> Hi, Billy, how are you?

>> COSTA: I'm good.

If you don't mind my asking, what room in the house are you right now?

>> Uh, the dining room.

>> COSTA (laughing): Okay.

Well, maybe you'll get a snack during the show.

Henry, how are you doing up there?

>> I'm doing great.

>> COSTA: How about you, Gray, how are you?

>> I'm good.

Thank you.

>> COSTA: All right.

Spencer, you okay?

>> Yeah, I'm good, and how about you?

>> COSTA: I'm doing good.

I'm looking forward to this round.

And also the alternate, Ken, and coach Désirée Butter.

(cheers and applause) Now, the competition has four rounds: toss-up, head-to-head, category, and lightning.

And throughout the game, a green light is a correct answer.

A red light is an incorrect answer.

And a gray light means no answer was given.

And we're going to start with the toss-up round.

All players are active and can score ten points for their team with a correct answer.

There are no point deductions for wrong answers.

So, teams, if you're all ready, let's go and good luck.

Thanks to the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit, what centuries-old game is experiencing a revival, notably among women?

Backgammon, chess, or checkers?

Chess is the answer.

In August 2021, 20 years after being removed from power in a U.S.-led invasion, the Taliban took control of what capital city of Afghanistan?

Kabul, Kandahar, or Herat?

Kabul is the answer.

In 2021, the White Sox defeated the Yankees in a highly anticipated game at an Iowa cornfield modeled after what 1989 baseball film starring Kevin Costner?

Bull Durham, For the Love of the Game, or Field of Dreams?

Field of Dreams is the answer.

According to the World Health Organization, which of the following accounts for the most premature deaths every year-- about seven million, actually?

Is it air pollution, alcohol consumption, or traffic accidents?

Air pollution is the answer.

Take a look at your screens.

In 2021, what director of Nomadland, seen in your screen, became the first woman of color and the second woman in history to win an Oscar for Best Director?

Is it Chloé Zhao, Lulu Wang, or Julia Kim?

Chloé Zhao the answer.

Which U.S. state lost a House seat after coming up short by 89 people in the 2020 census?

North Carolina, Montana, or New York?

New York is the answer.

After publishing his masterpiece Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman worked as a nurse in hospitals for many years, caring for patients wounded during which war: the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Civil War, the War of 1812?

The U.S. Civil War.

And with one seven-letter word, "murraya," in 2021, what 14-year-old girl became the first African American winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee?

Was it Zaila Avant-garde, Shanice Howard, or Jasmine Coleman?

Zaila Avant-garde is the answer.

What country is home to the famed snow monkeys, a species of macaque that lives in the coldest climate of any non-human primate?

Japan, China, or Mongolia?

Japan is the answer.

Take a look at your screens.

Here comes the next question.

>> Hello, I'm Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, and here's my question: after the British burned the original Library of Congress in 1814, what former president agreed to sell his personal library as a replacement?

Was it George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or John Adams?

>> COSTA: Thomas Jefferson is the answer and we move on.

In 1950, Harvard astronomer Fred Whipple proposed the "dirty snowball" theory of what icy objects that orbit the sun?

Comets, asteroids, meteoroids?

Comets is the answer.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo resigned in 2021 in the wake of a sexual harassment investigation.

What lieutenant governor replaced him as the state's first female governor?

Letitia James, Kathy Hochul, Andrea Stewart-Cousins?

Kathy Hochul the answer.

Linear A was the writing system used by what civilization that flourished in the Middle Bronze Age on the island of Crete?

Was it Minoan, Sumerian, or Etruscan?

Minoan is the answer.

What Argentine soccer star who scored the infamous "Hand of God" goal at the 1986 World Cup passed away in 2020 at the age of 60?

Was it Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, or Alfredo Di Stéfano?

Diego Maradona is the answer.

What Scottish mathematician is best known as the inventor of logarithms?

Henry Briggs, Charles Babbage, John Napier?

John Napier is the answer.

Which U.S. city is located the farthest north?

Milwaukee, Fargo, or Indianapolis?

Fargo is the answer.

And which of the following... (bell ringing) Oop, that's the end of the toss-up round.

The score right now, BB&N with a total score of 420 points, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, 370 points.

Let's hear it for both teams.

Good round so far!

(cheers and applause) Okay, the head-to-head round is next, but first we take a few minutes to get to know the players a little bit better.

And I've got a question each of you will have a chance to answer, and here it comes.

What is your go-to late-night snack and why?

And we're gonna start with BB&N, and you, Bradford, what is it?

>> I probably have to go with waffles with a little maple syrup.

>> COSTA: There you go.

>> I don't know, it's just delicious.

>> COSTA: Emily, how about you?

>> Definitely toast with brown sugar and cinnamon.

It's just really comforting.

>> COSTA: Yes, I'd like to have some right now with coffee.

Henry, what's yours, and why?

>> I had the same answer: toast with butter.

It's easy to prepare and goes with anything.

>> COSTA: All right, how about you, Aaron?

>> I'd have to go with cereal.

Just a versatile food.

>> COSTA: I was gonna say nobody's saying cereal.

A nice bowl of cereal doesn't hurt.

Let's go to Lincoln-Sudbury, and you, Jack, your late-night snack and why?

>> Well, it's gonna have to be a pint of Ben & Jerry's Half Baked.

Just all the guilty pleasure late-night snacks in one.

>> COSTA: There you go.

And, Henry, yours?

>> Mine's gotta be, like, Lucky Charms.

It's the undisputed god of cereal.

It's not really a discussion.

>> COSTA (laughing): Not even a discussion.

Hey, Gray, how about yours?

>> Dried mango, probably.

I always have some on hand.

>> COSTA: Good old-fashioned dry mango.

And Spencer?

>> Pretzels, just because they taste good.

>> COSTA: Yes, for me it's pretzels or Cheez-Its, one or the other, and either one works.

Cheez-Its are fabulous.

Okay, so it's time to move on and that means all of you are gonna go head-to-head.

It is an exciting round.

So let's go head-to-head.

(cheers and applause) Okay, in this round, correct answers add ten points to the team total and there is a ten-point deduction for a wrong answer.

And if a player does not answer, there's no impact on the score.

So, teams, here we go, and good luck.

What dynasty ruled Russia from 1613 until 1917?

Was it Rurikovich or Romanov?

Romanov.

What chemical element was known as plumbum to the ancient Romans, lead or mercury?

Lead.

Name the only Shakespeare play set in Scotland.

King Lear or Macbeth?

Macbeth.

What European dictator was known as il Duce?

Was it Francisco Franco or Benito Mussolini?

Benito Mussolini.

In the film Black Panther, T'Challa wears a suit made of what fictional metal that's nearly indestructible?

Is it vibranium or adamantium?

Vibranium is the answer.

In 2021, what former French president was sentenced to three years in prison for corruption and influence-peddling?

Was it Nicolas Sarkozy or François Hollande?

Nicolas Sarkozy is the answer.

Who came out of retirement in 2020 to join former teammate Tom Brady as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer?

Was it Vince Willfork or Rob Gronkowski?

Rob Gronkowski.

And what legendary folk singer sang "We Shall Overcome" at the March on Washington for civil rights in 1963?

Was it Joan Baez or Judy Collins?

Joan Baez is the answer.

(bell ringing) And that's the end of the round.

Let's take a look at the score.

Buckingham Browne & Nichols right now: 470 points.

Lincoln-Sudbury: 400 points.

Let's hear it for both teams, everybody.

(cheers and applause) Next up is the category round with the following categories: The River Wild, The Pride of Mount Vernon, Masking for a Friend, Cruella Intentions, Weevil Weevil Rock You, and That Ship Has Sailed.

Now, teams will be able to select two five-question categories, and they have the option to toss one question per category to the other team.

And teams are able to confer in this round.

BB&N, who's the spokesperson gonna be for your team?

Bradford is the one.

And how about Lincoln-Sudbury?

Jack will be the spokesperson there.

Lincoln-Sudbury, you have a little ground to make up.

The good news is, you get to choose the first category.

So what's it gonna be?

>> You guys thinking Pride of Mount Vernon?

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah, I was thinking that.

>> All right, it's gonna be Pride of Mount Vernon.

>> COSTA: The Pride of Mount Vernon.

These are gonna be questions about George Washington.

And for ten points: in 1754, at age 22, Washington first saw combat at the Battle of Jumonville Glen in Pennsylvania.

This was the opening conflict of what war?

>> French and Indian War.

>> French and Indian.

>> Yeah, final answer, French and Indian War.

>> COSTA: And that would be correct.

Now for 15 points: when told that Washington intended to resign after serving two terms as president, what English king said, "If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world."

>> King George?

>> It's George III?

>> COSTA: You need to be more specific there.

>> King George... Yeah, King George III.

Final answer: King George III.

>> COSTA: George III is correct.

Now for 20 points: Washington ordered the first vaccine mandates in U.S. history.

As commander of the Continental Army, in 1777, he ordered all troops to be inoculated against what dreaded disease caused by the variola virus?

>> I think it...

It wasn't...

It was smallpox, I believe.

>> That's, that's what I think, yeah.

>> Final answer: smallpox.

>> COSTA: And that'll be a correct answer, smallpox.

Now for 25 points: unlike many of his contemporaries, Washington never attended college or received a formal education.

In 1749, however, he received his surveyor's license from what college, the second-oldest in America, after Harvard?

>> William & Mary.

>> William & Mary.

But was it called (inaudible) College back then, though?

>> No, William & Mary.

>> Yeah, final answer: William & Mary.

>> COSTA: And the correct answer is the College of William & Mary.

Now for 30 points: in 1794, Washington secured passage of what diplomatic treaty with Great Britain in an attempt to resolve outstanding issues from the Revolutionary War?

>> Is it Jay's Treaty or... >> 1794?

I believe it was Jay's Treaty.

Gray, do you have any ideas?

>> Um, I think Jay's.

>> All right, final, final answer, Jay's Treaty.

>> COSTA: Jay's Treaty is the correct answer.

And now BB&N, you get to choose a category.

What's it gonna be?

>> What do you guys think about That Ship Has Sailed?

>> Yeah, that sounds good to me.

>> Yup.

>> Okay, That... >> COSTA: Official, Bradford?

>> That Ship Has Sailed.

>> COSTA: Okay.

Questions about ships.

For ten points: a salvage firm was granted permission in 2020 to recover the Marconi telegraph machine that sent the final S.O.S.

signal from what luxury liner that sank in 1912?

>> Titanic?

Mm-hmm.

>> Titanic.

>> All right, final answer: Titanic.

>> COSTA: And that is the correct answer, the Titanic.

For 15 points: in 2020, after more than three years of restoration, the Mayflower II returned to what coastal town in Massachusetts?

>> Should it be Plymouth?

>> Yeah.

>> Plymouth, yeah.

>> Final answer: Plymouth.

>> COSTA: And that's a correct answer, Plymouth.

Now for 20 points: Charles Darwin formulated his theory of evolution after returning from a voyage around the world aboard what ship?

>> The Beagle.

>> The Beagle?

>> All right, final answer: the Beagle.

>> COSTA: And the Beagle is correct.

Now for 25 points: incensed by the loss of the HMS Hood, in 1941, a large British force relentlessly pursued and sank what powerful Nazi warship at the Battle of the Denmark Strait?

>> The Bismarck.

>> Bismarck, I believe?

>> Yup.

>> Yeah.

>> Final answer the Bismarck.

>> COSTA: And that's a correct answer, the Bismarck.

Now 30 points: the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu spans the grave of what ship that suffered the greatest loss of life on December 7, 1941?

>> U.S.S.

Arizona.

>> U.S.S.

Arizona.

>> Arizona, yeah.

>> Yup.

>> Final answer: U.S.S.

Arizona.

>> COSTA: And that is correct.

Now, Lincoln-Sudbury, you get to choose a category.

What's it gonna be?

>> Can we see the-- yeah.

Uh... what do you guys think about Masking... What do you guys think?

>> Yeah, I think that one.

>> Try it.

>> Uh, we're gonna go for Masking for a Friend.

>> COSTA: Okay.

Thank you, Jack.

And these are questions about COVID-19.

And for ten points: in March of 2020, what Forrest Gump star became the first major celebrity to publicly announce he had contracted COVID-19, along with his wife, Rita Wilson?

>> Tom Hanks.

>> Tom Hanks, final answer.

>> COSTA: Is that a final answer, Jack?

>> Yeah, Tom Hanks is our final answer.

>> COSTA: And that's correct-- Tom Hanks.

For 15 points: some of the first COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the United States are mRNA vaccines.

What does the "M" stand for in mRNA?

>> Is it messenger?

>> Yeah, messenger.

>> Probably.

>> Final answer: messenger.

>> COSTA: And messenger is correct.

Now for 20 points: along with her Cabinet ministers, what New Zealand prime minister took a six-month, 20% pay cut in 2020 in solidarity with those hit by the COVID-19 pandemic?

>> It's Jacinda Ardern is the prime minister, so... >> Final answer: Jacinda Ardern.

>> COSTA: And that's a correct answer.

Now for 25 points: in March 2021, what country music icon literally got a dose of her own medicine, getting a shot of the Moderna vaccine she helped fund with a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt Medical Center?

>> Dolly Parton.

>> Dolly Parton.

>> Yeah, Dolly Parton.

>> Final answer: Dolly Parton.

>> COSTA: Dolly Parton is correct.

Now for 30 points: in 2021, what Florida governor faced a growing revolt from several school districts in defiance of his ban on mask mandates in schools?

>> Ron DeSantis, guys, right?

>> Yup, DeSantis, yup.

>> Final answer, final answer, Ron DeSantis.

>> COSTA: Ron DeSantis is a correct answer.

And now, BB&N, you get to choose another category.

>> The River Wild, maybe?

>> Should we try River?

>> Okay, we'll pick The River Wild.

>> COSTA: These are questions about rivers.

And for ten points: what major tributary of the River Severn is best known as the river that runs through Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford, England?

>> Avon.

>> Avon, yeah.

>> Final answer, Avon.

>> COSTA: Avon is the correct answer.

Now for 15 points: the Hoover Dam sits on the border between Arizona and Nevada.

It was built in the 1930s to supply drinking water, generate electricity, and control flooding from what river?

>> The Colorado.

>> Yeah, I think, I think that's right.

>> It's the Colorado, yeah.

>> Final answer, the Colorado.

>> COSTA: And the Colorado River is correct.

Now for 20 points: rising at the U.S. border with Quebec and discharging at Long Island Sound, what is the longest river that runs through New England?

>> Is it the Merrimack?

>> No, the Connecticut.

I think it's Connecticut.

>> Yeah, yeah.

>> Yeah, it'd be Connecticut.

>> Final answer: the Connecticut River.

>> COSTA: Connecticut River is correct.

Now for 25 points: with a maximum depth of, depth of approximately 720 feet, what African river is the deepest river in the world?

>> Do we think we want to, might want to toss this?

>> Yeah, I think, yeah, if you want to toss it.

>> Okay, Billy, we'll toss this question.

>> COSTA: Okay, they're gonna toss it to you, Lincoln-Sudbury-- do you have an answer?

>> So it's not... >> Zambezi.

>> I think it's Zambezi, because it's not the Nile.

>> Zambezi, yeah, Zambezi.

>> Zambezi goes out of Congo, so...

Final answer: Zambezi River.

>> COSTA: No, the correct answer would be the Congo River.

So now back to BB&N for 30 points.

In 1916, a group of Russian nobles plotted to kill the royal adviser Rasputin.

He was poisoned, shot twice, beaten unconscious, and thrown into what river in present-day St. Petersburg?

>> It's not the Volga, right?

>> It's def, it's def...

The Volga's south.

>> So do we want to pass on this one?

>> Yeah, I think passing on this one is probably the best idea.

>> All right, we'll pass, Billy.

>> COSTA: Okay.

The correct answer is the Neva River.

(bell ringing) And... That's the end of the category round.

With the score right now BB&N: 615 points, Lincoln-Sudbury: 575 points.

Let's hear it for both teams, everybody.

(cheers and applause) Okay, we are headed into the final round of play.

It's the lightning round.

All players are active with each answer adding or subtracting 20 points to a team's total.

The decision not to answer does not impact the score.

Ten questions in all, good luck, teams, and here we go.

The Five Pillars of Islam are faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, and a pilgrimage to what holy city?

Mecca or Medina?

Mecca.

FDR's Good Neighbor Policy attempted to improve U.S. relations with what region?

Asia or Latin America?

Latin America.

In 2021, what NASA spacecraft passed within 645 miles of Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon?

Was it Perseverance or Juno?

Juno.

Who was just 17 when she recorded George Floyd's murder in Minneapolis, in a clip that sparked global protests for police reform?

Was it Opal Tometi or Darnella Frazier?

Darnella Frazier.

What is the female or seed-bearing part of a plant?

Is it stamen or pistil?

Pistil.

What constitutional amendment outlawed the poll tax as a voting requirement in federal elections?

24th Amendment or 26th Amendment?

24th Amendment.

In 2013, what country defied the United States by granting temporary asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden?

Was it Russia or Ukraine?

Russia.

In the 1908 children's novel Anne of Green Gables, what is Anne's last name, MacKenzie or Shirley?

Shirley is the answer.

What U.S. state has shorelines along four of the five Great Lakes?

Wisconsin or Michigan?

Michigan.

From 1861 to 1946, the royal dynasty the House of Savoy sat on the throne of what present-day nation?

Italy or France?

Italy is the correct answer there.

(bell ringing) And that is the end of the round and the end of the game.

The winning team this week is Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School with a total score of 875 points.

BB&N finishes with 775 points.

What a round, congratulations to both teams for a great semifinal.

So Lincoln-Sudbury has earned a spot in this year's tournament bracket and moves on to play Andover High School.

So join us next week for the match between Belmont High School and Lexington High School.

And until then, don't forget you can play a bonus round of High School Quiz Show on your Alexa or Google Home devices.

Just ask your smart speaker to play High School Quiz Show.

And we'll see you next week.

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♪ ♪ (cheers and applause)