At the age of 15, this man developed his code for the French alphabet as an improvement on night writing. The characters in his code consist of rectangular blocks of tiny, raised bumps. Who lost his sight at the age of three, which led to the development of the raised-dot writing system named for him?

Because he was fluent in French, this future statesman was George Washington's liaison to French admirals and generals during the Revolutionary War. This man was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and a major author of the Federalist Papers. What statesman, the first secretary of the U.S. Treasury, was killed in a duel by Aaron Burr?

How many prime numbers are there between 50 and 60?

This son of Uranus and Gaea married Rhea after becoming king of the Titans. He swallowed a stone after his wife tricked him, and eventually vomited up all of his older children. Name this Greek counterpart of Saturn, whom Zeus overthrew to bring the Olympians to power, whose very name denotes time.

As a stand-alone shortened term, this root word often names a square space surrounded by buildings on a college campus. Identify the Latin root for "four."

Buoyancy is closely related to this ratio, also known as relative density. The usual standard for comparison is water at four degrees Celsius, which has a density of one kilogram per liter. Identify the two-word phrase for the ratio of the density of a substance to that of a standard substance.

Consider this math trick: You are told to pick any number, add 2 to your number, then multiply your result by 5. From this result, subtract 10, and then finally, divide the result by your original number. What will always be your final result?

First and last name required. As consul, he introduced a measure that would have given public land to Pompey's veterans. Between 58 and 50 B.C., he conquered the rest of what is now France, writing about it in his Commentaries on the Gallic Wars. What Roman dictator was murdered on March 15, 44 B.C.?

Popular songs from this musical include "Close Every Door," "Any Dream Will Do," and "Those Canaan Days." After leaving his father and eleven brothers, the title character encounters Potiphar, Mrs. Potiphar, and the Pharaoh. Name this Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on the Genesis story of a multicolored garment.

After a terrorist act at this major sports event, one of the suspects ran over his older brother in a car. That suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured while hiding in a boat parked in a driveway. He went on trial in 2015 for allegedly planting an explosive device at what sports event, killing three and wounding hundreds of other people standing near the finish line?

As this play opens, the title character loses his shadow while listening to a bedtime story through an open window. He introduces the Lost Boys to John, Michael, and Wendy Darling, battles Captain Hook, and encourages the audience to help save Tinker Bell. Identify this play about "the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," by J. M. Barrie.

From the Greek for "joined", a fetus develops from this initial cell. This cell is formed when two gamete cells are joined by means of sexual reproduction. Identify the cell that divides, then becomes a blastocyst, followed by an embryo, and then a fetus.

Michael has a board that is 6 feet long. He makes cuts that are one and two-thirds foot apart. How many feet of board are left over, after Michael makes as many cuts as he can?

This actor got his start by portraying the title character in the TV movie adaptation of David Copperfield. His big break came the next year, when he began starring in a series of films opposite Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Who portrayed the title wizard in all eight Harry Potter movies?

A leather jacket cost you $80. You decide to sell it but want to mark up the price 15 percent. In dollars, how much should you sell the jacket for with this markup?

He was appointed minister to France by George Washington in 1794, but was recalled two years later. Appointed both secretary of state and secretary of war by James Madison, he defeated Rufus King in the 1816 presidential election. What president issued a policy declaring the end to European colonization in the Americas?

How many prepositional phrases does the following sentence contain? At home, I tossed the note from Pam into the trash can.

This composer's extensive list of film credits includes War Horse and Lincoln. He also scored E. T., the Indiana Jones series, and the first two Jurassic Park films. Name the composer of Jaws and the Star Wars series.

This taxonomic class consists of an ancient group of animals similar to fish. Unlike fish, however, they lack jaws and paired fins. What is this class of aquatic creatures, of which there are two living groups, lampreys and hagfish?

A typical soda can contains 12 fluid ounces, or 355 milliliters. What is the most number of times you could pour a 12-fluid ounce can of soda into a 2-liter bottle, without overflowing the bottle?

He was related to the Hawkins family of Plymouth, who were merchants and pirates. He played a large role in destroying vessels and supplies destined for the Spanish Armada. Name this English admiral who circumnavigated the globe, the most famous "sea dog."

How many words should be capitalized in the following sentence? Next Saturday, Dad is taking us to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Some plants positively exhibit this response, in which plant cells coming in contact with a surface produce auxin. Roots, on the other hand, exhibit this response negatively, helping them grow into the soil with minimum resistance. What is the name of this response in which plants seem to cling to objects as they grow?

This untrained composer first gained critical acclaim with his fifteen-movement Enigma Variations. He honored King Edward the Seventh and Queen Alexandra with the Coronation Ode. Who composed the song traditionally played at graduations, Pomp and Circumstance?

A regular hexagon can be divided into six equilateral triangles. What is the angle measure, in degrees, of one of the interior angles of one of these equilateral triangles?

In one of this man's short stories, Billy Weaver stays at The Bell and Dragon in Bath. The bed and breakfast owner offers him tea, which the writer implies is laced with cyanide. Who wrote "The Landlady," as well as James and the Giant Peach?

One classification system for this long-term condition was developed by Vladimir Köppen. Its elements include solar radiation, temperature, humidity, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, and wind. What term refers to the atmospheric conditions that prevail in a place over long periods of time?

These parasites that usually live in the intestines are common in warm, tropical countries. Infections include ascariasis, river blindness, and trichinosis. Often caused by poor sanitation and hygiene, what are these pesky parasites?

This compound word refers to the leader of a symphony orchestra's first violins. Give the term for the person in this position, who also serves as an assistant to the conductor.

A regular octagon has a side length of three and five-eighths units. What is the perimeter, in units, of the octagon?

Literally, this two-word phrase translates as "it's nothing." How do Spanish speakers traditionally say "you're welcome"?

Parties advocating this economic system have been named both Christian and National. It proposes that some property and natural resources be under public control. Name this economic system, of which Communism is a version.

These actions are your body's way of protecting it from harm. For example, blinking, coughing, and sneezing are prime examples of these involuntary acts. Give the word that is defined as "an action performed automatically, often a habitual behavior."

This element of music depends on resonance, which determines relative frequencies' strengths. It can be dull, lush, dark, or bright. Identify the element of music that lets you distinguish between voices and instruments' sounds.

A cylinder has a base with an area of 15 square units. If the height of the cylinder is 8 units, what is the volume, in cubic units, of the cylinder?

Spelling required. The biology laboratory received recognition for its excellent equipment. Spell the word in the preceding sentence that means "a place to conduct scientific experiments."

The writing of this document was given to a committee that included Roger Sherman, Roger R. Livingston, and John Adams. In effect, though, the first draft was largely written by another member of the committee, Thomas Jefferson. Identify this document that declared the colonies to be "free and independent States."

This biome is found between the tundra and the temperate forest. It covers major portions of Canada, Alaska and Russia. Name the biome characterized by coniferous forests.

This instrument is the focus of a Vivaldi concerto, as well as the serenade in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Its eight strings are divided into four pairs, and stretched over a fretted neck and pear-shaped body. What is this lute relative, whose A- and F-styles feature prominently in bluegrass music?

Identify the amendment to the Constitution of the United States that granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African-Americans and former slaves after the Civil War.

Name the author who wrote of Rose Campbell in Eight Cousins and created the characters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in Little Women.

Give the two-word phrase for the fastest speed a body can reach while falling through the air when drag matches the pull of gravity.

This golfer, whose real name is Eldrick, won three consecutive U.S. Amateur Championships from 1994 to 1996 and completed golf's Grand Slam by winning the 2000 British Open. Who is he?

What mathematical term refers to a pair of polygons in which corresponding angles are congruent and corresponding sides are proportional, and can be proven for triangles using Angle-Angle, Side-Angle-Side, and Side-Side-Side?

In a classroom, there are five 12-year-olds, six 13-year-olds, and four 14-year-olds. What is the median age in the classroom?

Identify the Neal Bascomb book about Adolf Eichmann's escape, capture, and trial, subtitled How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi.

Name the artist who revealed communist sympathies in Self-Portrait with Stalin, painted still lifes like Weeping Coconuts, and was once married to muralist Diego Rivera.

What is the period of the cell cycle, formerly known as the resting phase, that occurs between successive mitotic or meiotic divisions when the nucleus is not undergoing division?

Identify the Native American culture found mainly among forest-dwelling tribes east of the Mississippi River and divided into Northeast and Southeast cultural areas, including the Micmac, Seneca, Ho-Chunk, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole.

Events A and B are independent. Event A has a probability of 30% and event B has a probability of 50%. What is the probability, stated as a percent, that both A and B occur?

Name the ancient African region that extended from the Nile River's first cataract eastward to the shores of the Red Sea, known as Kush by Egyptians and Aethiopia by Greeks, and now split between northern Sudan and southern Egypt.

What class of pronouns refers to the speaker or to individuals about whom the speaker is speaking, and can be in the possessive, objective, or subjective case—for example, "they," "her," and "you"?

Identify the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Barcelona that combines Late Gothic, Catalan Modernism, and Art Nouveau elements, was consecrated as a minor basilica, and was designed by Antoni Gaudí.

Name the annual international technology showcase held in Las Vegas that is more commonly known by the abbreviation CES.

If $$X > 10$$ , which statement about $$X - 4$$ is true?

What is the largest desert in North Africa, crossed annually for decades by rally racers as part of the Paris to Dakar Rally and measuring about 3,000 miles east–west and 1,200 miles north–south?

Give the term for a story's central struggle, which may be person versus self, person versus person, or person versus nature.

Identify the majority Muslim sect that recognizes the first four caliphs as Muhammad's rightful successors and is found in every country except Iran and Iraq.

Name the materials that allow electric current to flow without resistance at temperatures approaching absolute zero.

Name the Hugh Lofting protagonist who lives in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, has animal friends like Pushmi-pullyu and Polynesia the parrot, and is a physician who can talk to animals.

To what religious group, also called the Religious Society of Friends, did Richard Nixon and William Penn belong—a group that believed in living according to the "Inward Light"?

Which Roman god, the counterpart of the Greek Dionysus, was associated with ivy, honey, and dance and could induce frenzies among his worshipers?

What is the degree of the polynomial $$5X^3 + 8X^4 - 12X + 9$$ ?

Name the discontinuity just below the Earth's crust where seismic wave velocities change suddenly, marking the boundary between the crust and mantle.

A function F is defined by the ordered pairs (5, 10), (3, 6), (12, 24), (9, 18), and (6, 12). Using this function, what is the value of F of 12?

At eight years old, this dancer made his Broadway debut in The Girl in the Pink Tights. He co-starred with his brother in Eubie!, a tribute to ragtime composer Eubie Blake, before receiving Tony nominations for Comin' Uptown and Sophisticated Ladies. What tap dancer earned a Tony Award for his portrayal of Jelly Roll Morton in Jelly's Last Jam?

This novel ends with the hatching of Joy, Nellie, and Aranea, three of the title character's children. Fern Arable first spares Wilbur's life, but the title animal later saves him by weaving the words "Some Pig." Give the name of this novel about a remarkable spider, written by E. B. White.

This river's tributaries include the Cumberland, Big Sandy, Green, Miami, and Wabash rivers. It is formed by the merging of two other rivers at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. What river's one major hazard to navigation is the falls near Louisville?

Through a telescope, this object may be visible either as a hazy patch of light or an irregular dark region. Meaning "mist" in Latin, it appears as a mist-like cloud of space dust. What astronomical term refers to a diffuse cloud of particles and gases, such as the ones named "Horsehead" or "Crab"?

State your answer as an improper fraction. Consider the linear function F of x equals $$3x + 5$$ . What is the x-intercept of this function?

This compound word names a paddle-wheel steamer that once served as a traveling theater on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. What word is also the title of the Hammerstein and Kern musical featuring the songs "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man" and "Ol' Man River"?

This novel's protagonist, Isabel, is sold to the Locktons, along with her sister, Ruth. Curzon convinces Isabel to spy on her owners, who know when the British plan to invade the American colonies. Identify this winner of the Scott O'Dell Award by Laurie Halse Anderson.

This system is led by a seven-member Board of Governors. It was created when Woodrow Wilson signed an act in 1913 bearing the same name. What system's duties include making loans to commercial banks, overseeing the supply of currency, and being the fiscal agent of the United States?

Wheat flour is high in this sticky, elastic protein substance that gives texture to bread. Kellogg's Rice Krispies comes in a variety made with brown rice, free of this protein. Identify the protein that causes problems for those suffering from Celiac disease.

According to webmd.com, one of the reasons this test, with a 17-letter name, is administered includes finding the cause of chest pain. It translates the heart's electrical activity into line tracings on paper. Give the lengthy name of the test commonly abbreviated EKG or ECG.

Assuming that all variables represent positive numbers, what is the simplified form of the square root of $$50x^2y^3$$ ?

This poem includes the lines, "It was one by the village clock, / When he galloped into Lexington," and, "It was two by the village clock, / When he came to the bridge in Concord town." On "the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five," the title figure climbs the tower of Old North Church to hang two lanterns in its belfry. What is this historical poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?

Two-word answer please. These flowers are the subject of over two hundred fifty oil paintings. The artist depicted them in the setting sun and reflecting clouds in the pond in his Giverny garden. What are these flowers, a favorite subject of Impressionist Claude Monet?

Two-word answer required. Its victims included Alfonso the Eleventh of Castile, the wife of Peter the Fourth of Aragon, and the daughter of Edward the Third of England. In some areas, as much as two-thirds of the population was killed, especially in cities. What pandemic was most likely spread by rats in the fourteenth century?

Sexual maturity and functional wings are only featured in insects that reach this stage of metamorphosis. Beginning with the letter "I", it follows the pupa stage. Often referred to as the "adult" stage, give the entomological term for a fully developed insect.

This amendment was ratified on February 3, 1870. Its effect, however, was eroded by devices as poll taxes, literacy clauses, and grandfather clauses. What amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or former slave status?

This philosophy embraces the idea of a life force, called qi, that flows through all things. It advocates balance of the yin and yang, and the idea of wuwei, taking no unnatural action. With a sacred book known as the Daodejing, what is this Eastern religion founded by Lao Tzu?

This word once named a place of sanctuary for criminals or debtors. Today, it typically refers to a temporary status given to political refugees. Give this word, which also names an institution housing orphans or the mentally ill.

What is the x-coordinate of the vertex of the quadratic function y equals $$4x^2 - 16x + 7$$ ?