Round 1 Questions

Below are the questions asked to the contestants on Matchday 1:

Preliminary Match 1

Round 1: Current Affairs

1)      Fear radiated throughout this Malaysian state due to the kidnapping of two Malaysians by Filipino gunmen. Which state did this happen in?

a.       Sabah

2)      In a recent badminton tournament, Malaysia beat South Korea 3-2 in the first round, before losing to South Korea 3-1 in the quarter-finals. What tournament was this?

a.       Sudirman Cup

3)      The perpetrator of an infamous bombing at a marathon in 2013 was sentenced to death on the 16^th of May. Name the marathon at which the bombing occurred.

a.       Boston Marathon

4)      The national church of this country recently voted to allow congregations to ordain openly homosexual ministers. This was a historic and unexpected decision. Name the country this happened in.

a.       Scotland

5)      According to a list released by the New York Times, Marissa Mayer was the highest paid female CEO of 2014. Which company is she CEO of?

a.       CEO of Yahoo
(She made 42.1 million dollars in 2014. However, she is only at number 14 overall. Number 1 to 13 were all male. We need to change that.)

6)      Pope Francis recently promoted two 19th century nuns from this Middle Eastern country to the status of saints. This process is called canonisation. What country were they from?

a.       Palestine

7)       In an election in a troubled country in Europe this year, the leader of the Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, ascended to the post of Prime Minister, taking over from Prime Minister Samaras. Which country was this in?

a.       Greece

8)      Last Saturday during exeat, a former president of Egypt was sentenced to death by an Egyptian court. Name that president.

a.       Mohammad Morsi

9)      The English Premier League was recently won with 3 games to spare by a certain team, courtesy of an Eden Hazard goal in a match against Crystal Palace. Which team is this?

a.       Chelsea

10)   One of the world’s brattiest celebrities recently went on Comedy Central on his 21st birthday to participate in a roast of him as part of his supposed turning over a new leaf. What is his name?

a.       Justin Bieber

11)   A deadly shootout erupted 3 days ago at Waco restaurant in America. 9 people lost their lives. In which state of America was this?

a.       Texas

12)   Indonesian fishermen recently heroically rescued Rohingya refugees and brought them to shore. Which Indonesian province were they then taken to and sheltered in?

a.       Acheh

13)   There was uproar in Malaysia this week after Tun Dr Mahathir said that the Speaker of Parliament would resign. It turns out the Speaker had no such intentions. Who is the Speaker of Malaysia’s Parliament?

a.       Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mula (accept Pandikar)

14)   The most recent ex-Prime Minister of Thailand is currently under trial in Bangkok for charges of negligence in a rice subsidy scheme. Name this person.

a.       Yingluck Shinawatra

15)   A UiTM photography diploma student, Hasrul Haris, was suspended last week for something he did on stage during his graduation ceremony. What did he do?

a.       He took a selfie with the Chancellor. (accept any reference to a selfie, but not just a photo)

Round 2: Spitfire

Pop Culture or History

Choice One: Pop Culture 

1) What is the most subscribed to channel on YouTube as of April 2015?

a) PewDiePie (pronounced pew-dee-pie)

2) Who was the first winner of American Idol?

a) Kelly Clarkson

3) Who popularized the phrase “YOLO” and what does it stand for?

a) Drake -- You Only Live Once

4) Elvis Presley is referred to as the King of Rock and Roll by some. Who is the King of Pop?

a) Michael Jackson

5) In which specific Star Wars movie did Darth Vader utter the famous phrase “Luke, I am your father”

a) Star Wars Episode Five OR Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

6) What is the name of the big, furry lion in the Chronicles of Narnia?

a) Aslan

7) Who came in like a wrecking ball?

a) Miley Cyrus

8) Who is the actor that played Mr. Bean?

a) Rowan Atkinson

9) What is the highest grossing animated Disney film of all time?

a) Frozen

10) Name all seven Harry Potter books

a) The Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Goblet of Fire, the Order of the Phoenix, The Half Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows.

Additional Trivia: J.K Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected by 12 different publishers at first, but now the Harry Potter series is the top-selling book series of all time with 450 million books sold in total.

Choice Two: History

1) Which two major powers were at odds against each other in the Cold War?

a) USA and USSR

2) When did Malaysia achieve independence?

a) 1957

3)  Who was the first emperor of Rome?

a) Augustus (or Gaius Octavius)

4) Which organisation was the predecessor to the United Nations?

a) The League of Nations

5) Which American president fought for the abolition of slavery and was subsequently assassinated?

a) Abraham Lincoln

6)  The Philippines was colonized by two great powers in the past, one of which was Spain. Which was the other great power?

a) The United States of America (USA)

7) What is the name of the genocide where 6 million Jews were killed by Nazi Germany?

a) The Holocaust

8) The last emperor of China was a six year old boy. Name him.

a) Pu Yi

9) What is the name of the controversial treaty that was signed with Germany post-World War One?

a) The Treaty of Versailles

10) Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only one stands today. Name it.

a) The Great Pyramids of Giza (or: The Pyramids; keyword: pyramids)
Additional trivia: The other 6 wonders of the ancient world were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum of Mausolus, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis

Round 3: Double or nothing
Sports

1)      Fondly known as the Baltimore Bullet or the Dolphin, this sportsman is truly a human wonder. He has represented the United States of America at 4 Olympic Games to date, in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. As a child, he idolized Ian Thorpe, and trained under Bob Bowman in the pursuit of greatness. Many have said that he was born to swim, due to his immense height and huge hands and feet which act as giant paddles to propel him through the water. He currently holds world records in events like the 100 and 200 meter butterfly, as well as the 400 meter individual medley, and is the most decorated Olympian of all time. His greatest ever sporting moment came at the 2008 Olympics when he famously won 8 gold medals in a single games, with 7 of those won in world record times. Name this swimming superstar.

a.       Michael Phelps

2)      This question will require you to identify the sport being described. It is played between two teams of 11 players each on a field. At the centre of the field is a 22-yard long pitch. The game revolves around a hard, leather-seamed ball which can be played at speeds of up to 140 km/h. The game is today most popular in Australiasia, England, the West Indies and South Africa, and is played by an estimated 120 million people around the world. Each turn taken by a team is known as an innings. Teams compete to score runs, which are often awarded as singles, fours, or sixes. You may have heard of terms like The Ashes and One-Day Internationals being used in conjunction with this sport. And if you haven’t, you surely have heard of the man described as the greatest player of this sport of all time, Sachin Tendulkar. Name this sport.

a.       Cricket

3)      Born on the 30^th October 1960, this footballer was a playmaker who operated in the classic number 10 position. He is well-known for a number of reasons. Firstly, he is the only person in history ever to set the world football transfer fee record twice. More importantly though were his exceptional vision, passing, ball control, dribbling skills, speed and reflexes, made all the more remarkable by his small size. He played in 4 FIFA World Cups, and was captain of his national team when they won the tournament in 1986. In that year, his personal record was made legendary by two of the goals he scored: One was called the ‘Goal of the Century’, the other was called the ‘Hand of God’. He is an Argentinian who many have called the greatest player of all time. Name this footballer.

a.       Diego Maradona

4)      With a motto of ‘Humanity, Equality, Destiny’, this international sporting tournament is held every 4 years. It was first held in the year 1930. The current president of the federation that oversees this tournament is His Royal Highness Prince Tunku Imran. 71 different territories compete in these games, among them countries like Nauru, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Isle of Man, but not the United States. The next edition of the games will be hosted by Gold Coast, Australia in 2018. Malaysia has hosted the tournament once before, in 1998. Malaysia is particularly successful in the sports of badminton, squash, shooting, weightlifting and lawn bowling at these games. Name this tournament.

a.       The Commonwealth Games

5)      Most Malaysians would identify sporting excellence with shuttler Lee Chong Wei, squash queen Nicol David, or the Harimau Malaya football team. However, what most don’t know about this lesser-known Malaysian sportswoman is that she is a 3-time world champion in her field. Born on the 28^th March 1978 in England, she is a former Malaysian and Asian number 1, and currently competes in the PBA Women’s Series. She is a professional tenpin bowler who has represented Malaysia in countless international tournaments. Many also know her as the owner of a Tenpin Bowling Alley at The Curve, a popular shopping mall. She also once famously defeated a top male tenpin bowler in the final of the World Masters Series. Who is she?

a.       Shalin Zulkifli
(Trivia: Most Malaysians are unfamiliar with her, but in the sporting arena, she is universally respected as a fighter! She even came back from motherhood to win the world championship!)

Round 4: Head to Head

Malaysia

Set One

1) What is the capital of Malaysia?

a) Kuala Lumpur

2) What is the population of Malaysia?

a) 28 million (Accept answers in the range of 27-31 million)

3) The largest cave chamber in the world is located in Malaysia. Name this cave chamber and the state it is located in.

a) The Sarawak Chamber, located in Sarawak (accept: Mulu caves, Gua Mulu, Gunung Mulu)

Additional trivia: This cave chamber is so massive that it can easily fit 40 entire Boeing 747s inside it!

Set Two

1) What is the name of Malaysia’s national anthem?

a) Negaraku

2) Name the smallest state in Malaysia

a) Perlis

3) Besides Lee Chong Wei, name one Malaysian athlete who has won an Olympic medal

a) Razif Sidek, Jalani Sidek, Cheah Soon Kit, Yap Kim Hock, Rashid Sidek, Pandalela Rinong Pamg (Any one)

Set Three

1) How many states are there in Malaysia?

a) 13 States

2) Who was Malaysia’s first Deputy Prime Minister?

a) Tun Abdul Razak

3) The Petronas Twin Towers are the tallest buildings in Malaysia. Name the second tallest building in Malaysia.

a) The Kuala Lumpur Tower (accept Menara KL)

Set Four

1) Name Malaysia’s national flower

a) Hibiscus OR Bunga Raya

2) Malaysia has three Federal Territories. Name all of them.

a) Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Labuan

3) Malaysia has been colonized by four different nations in the past. Name all four nations.

a) Portugal
    Netherlands (accept: the Dutch)
    Britain (accept: the UK, the English/British)
    Japan.

Round 5: General Knowledge

Instructions to be read out:

1) This man is known as one of the founders of Greek philosophy. He tutored the philosopher Plato, and met his unfortunate demise when he was forced to drink poisonous hemlock by his government who deemed him to have corrupted the minds of youth. Who is he?

a) Socrates

2) A group of geese is called a gaggle of geese. A group of cows is called a herd of cows. What do you call a group of crows?

a) A murder of crows

3) Who said this famous quote: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”?

a) Gandhi

4) What is the name of the religion that is indigenous to Japan and practiced by most Japanese people?

a) Shinto

5) We all know the song “We will, we will rock you”, but which famous band sang it?

a) Queen

6) This number is considered unlucky in Chinese culture due to its Chinese pronunciation being similar to that of the word “Death”. What number is this?

a) The number Four (4); Chinese number is “Si”

7) What is the name of Superman’s alter ego?

a) Clark Kent

8) The Agong reigns over Malaysia, but his power is limited as Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy. Of all the countries in the world, only seven practice absolute monarchies. Name one of these countries.

a) Brunei, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, Vatican City, Qatar, United Arab Emirates

9) Steel is not an element, rather it is an alloy made up primarily of two other elements. Name these two elements.

a) Iron and Carbon

10) Diarrhoea is an awful sickness. Spell it.

a) British Spelling: Diarrhoea; American Spelling: Diarrhea. (Accept either)

11) A pentagon is a five-sided polygon. What do you call a seven-sided polygon?

a) A heptagon

12) Who is the current Prime Minister of India?

a) Narendra Modi

13) There are four fundamental states of matter, the most well-known being solids, liquids and gases. Name the last state of matter.

a) Plasma

14) If Zeus is Lord of the Sky, and Hades the Lord of the Underworld, who is the Lord of the Sea?

a) Poseidon

15) Homer Simpson is one of the main characters in the popular animated sitcom, The Simpsons. Who is his wife?

a) Marge Simpson