This program brought to you in part by the Erika Lewis Endowment Fund.

Tonight, it's A-Tech... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Green Valley.

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] Hi, and welcome to the 55th season of Varsity Quiz.

We've got the best and the brightest high school students matching wits in this challenging academic competition.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum, and what an honor it is to be your host.

So we crowned a Blue League champion on Varsity Quiz a few weeks ago.

Now the road to the Silver League title continues.

This is the last of our four Quarterfinal matches.

Advanced Technologies Academy, we call them A-Tech, taking on Green Valley.

We started with 20 schools in the Silver League, three different divisions.

A-Tech was undefeated in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

There's Alfred.

Hi, Alfred.

Carlo, howdy.

Anushka and Shivaanish.

And the coach for A-Tech, Johnny Nguyen.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Advanced Technologies Academy!

[cheers and applause] Okay.

So let's talk about Green Valley.

They had a record of 4-1 in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

There's Becca.

Hi, Becca.

Dominic, Weston, and Ben.

And the coach for Green Valley, Scott Otter.

Ladies and gentlemen, Green Valley!

[cheers and applause] Students ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz!

What literary work by Dante Alighieri describes the journey through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven?

And that's A-Tech, Carlo: Divine Comedy -Correct.

Points on the board for A-Tech, and we continue.

Which muscles of the back of the upper arm are responsible for arm extension?

Green Valley, Weston: Scaps, scapulars -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Shivaansh: triceps -Yes.

More points for A-Tech as we roll on.

The SI unit of power was named for James Watt, a Scottish-- A-Tech, Shivaansh: time -That is incorrect.

That's an interruption.

I'll finish the question.

--SI unit named for James Watt, a Scottish engineer, who contributed to the Industrial Revolution by developing an improved version of what device invented by Thomas Newcomen?

Green Valley, Dominic: steam engine -Yes.

Points on the board for Green Valley, and we roll on.

What's the name of the novel by Leo Tolstoy that tells the story of five aristocratic families during the Napoleonic Wars?

Green Valley, Weston: War and Peace -Yep.

Longest book ever.

Next question.

In 2019, Chile experienced widespread protests because the richest person there, Iris Fontona, is worth 23.1 billion US dollars, while the average yearly salary in Chile is around $28,000.

So tell me the two-word term that describes this political issue.

A-Tech, Shivaansh: income inequality -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for economic equity.

No points.

Next question.

The works of George Orwell show criticism and opposition to which type of government where there's complete control by the person-- That's A-Tech, Carlo: totalitarianism -Yes.

In genetics, what term describes the complete set of an organism's genes?

A-Tech, Carlo: genome -Yes.

Which play features the characters Rosencrantz and Guildenstern?

That's Green Valley, Becca: Hamlet -Yes, ma'am.

The Rural Electrification Act brought electric power to rural America via Executive Order 7307 signed by which President May 11, 1935?

Green Valley, Dominic: FDR -Correct.

Calculation question now, students.

Solve this equation to the nearest 10th: 2(x-3)=5x+4 Repeating.

Solve the equation to the nearest 10th.

2(x-3)=5x-- We'll go with Green Valley, Ben: 3.33 -I don't think that's correct.

Say that again, Ben.

- negative 3.33 -Oh, yes, that is correct.

You got it.

Points on the board for Green Valley, and we roll on.

Borrowing a term from architecture for that wedge-shaped stone in the middle of an arch, what is also the ecological term for-- And that's Green Valley, Dominic: keystone -I think we can take that.

Yes.

And next question.

Buckingham Palace refused to return the remains of Prince Dejatch Alemayheu from his resting place at Windsor Castle because it would disturb other remains.

Now Alemayheu was the Prince of Abyssinia, which is now known as what nation?

We'll go with A-Tech, Carlo: Afghanistan -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] [buzzer sound] Did he get it in time?

Too late?

We were looking for Ethiopia.

Next question.

"Podcasts cannot defy the law of supply and demand," so said Gabriel Khan, a professor at USC in June of last year, about this company that has made podcasts a crucial part of its identity.

What's the name of this music streaming-- A-Tech, Shivaansh: Spotify -Everybody's done the Spotify, right?

Let's go!

Yes.

Who was the first European explorer to reach India by sea?

A-Tech, Alfred: Vasco da Gama -Yes.

Shivaansh was working on it, but you got it, Alfred.

Next question.

What phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtains energy from photosynthesis has been around for so long they are the oldest fossils found?

We'll go with Green Valley, Dominic: algae -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Carlo: cyanobacteria -Correct.

What was the result of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase?

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] Yes, no?

[confers with judges] Okay.

A-Tech, Shivaansh: Alaska -Incorrect.

It was just expansion of US territory.

That's what we were looking for.

Scientists have revived a dormant 46,000-year-old roundworm that was frozen in the permafrost of which vast region?

A-Tech, Carlo: Siberia -Yes.

Next question.

The CPU is the brain of a computer, but what does CPU stands for?

A-Tech, Carlo: Central Processing Unit -If nobody got that one, we'd all be in trouble.

Next question.

Yoon Suk Yeol visited Ukraine July of 2023 to pledge monetary support from the country he leads, but he would not give weapons.

What nation is Yoon the president of?

A-Tech, Carlow: Korea -We need more.

-South Korea.

-Yes.

In the 1870s, a discovery was made that proved that the Iguanodon did not have a horn as previously thought.

The fossil in question is now said to be a spike on which digit?

A-Tech, Carlo: middle -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] No.

It's the thumb.

Next question.

In June of 2023, the US Supreme Court rejected a congressional voting map in what state, saying it had diluted the powers and rights of black voters?

Green Valley, Ben: Delaware -Incorrect.

A-Tech, Shivaansh: Louisiana -No.

It was Alabama.

Who wrote the novel One Years of Solitude, often considered a masterpiece of magical realism?

[bell chimes, time expires] -Oh, you're thinking about it.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Which state in the US has the highest average elevation?

Green Valley, Doninic: Alaska -No.

A-Tech, Carlo: Wyoming -No.

You're close.

It's Colorado.

What's the term for the economic system where individuals or companies own and operate businesses for profit?

Green Valley, Weston: capitalism -Yes.

A little louder next time, Weston.

We got you.

The single letter "D" in the name of this event simply means "Day" in any large scale military event, making it alliteratimely repetitive-- Green Valley, Weston: D-Day -No.

I didn't finish the question, so that's an interruption.

--in this case, it's the most known because of the largest such offensive that happened where?

A-Tech, Carlo: Normandy -Yes.

That is the end of our first round.

Don't go anywhere, and give these kids a round of applause.

You're doing great.

[applause] We're gonna take a second to get to know a little bit more about our players.

We start over here with A-Tech, and we have 12th grader Alfred.

Hi, Alfred.

-Hi.

-Nice to have you here.

You wrote that you were not born in the United States.

-No, I wasn't.

I was actually born in Australia.

-And how long have you been here?

-I've been here mostly my entire life.

I was just born there.

-Okay.

Well have fun here in America and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Alfred.

Here's 11th grader Carlo.

Hi, Carlo.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

You have a couple of hobbies that you wrote down.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-I wrote programming and math or something.

-Yeah.

So I mean, most people would not consider those necessarily hobbies, math.

But that's the kind of guy you are, Carlo.

So good luck with the programming.

Good luck-- yeah, don't stop being you, man.

And good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 12th grader Anushka.

Hi, Anushka.

-Hi.

-This says that you're not just in school at A-Tech, that you're taking other classes.

Where are you going?

-I take classes at UNLV.

-Well, that sounds like fun.

What are you taking over there?

-I'm taking Abnormal Psych this semester, Abnormal Psychology.

-Oh, my goodness!

Well, good luck, and good luck at A-Tech and here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Anushka.

Here's 12th grader Shivaansh.

Hi, Shivaansh.

-What's up?

-You wrote that you play a musical instrument.

-Yeah.

I play the violin.

-For how long now?

-Since for the past nine years now.

-Excellent.

Do they have an orchestra at A-Tech?

-They do have one, but I do play in other areas.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, that is A-Tech!

[applause] So now we're gonna meet our players from Green Valley.

We say hello to 12th grader Becca.

Hi, Becca.

-Hi.

-So you wrote that you are a collector of something that some folks don't even know what that is.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-I don't.

-You wrote that you collect vinyl records.

-Oh, yes.

-Do you know how many records you have, or you have a favorite one?

-It's hard to choose.

-How many do you have?

-I'd say over 50 at this point.

-Okay.

Is it all the same style of music, or is it different people?

-Lots of different stuff.

-Okay.

Well keep enjoying the vinyl, because that's how I grew up.

Thank you, Becca.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 12th grader Dominic.

Nice to see.

-Hi.

-You wrote that you're from a small town somewhere.

What town is that?

-I'm from Conneaut, Ohio.

-Gazuntite.

Where is that?

-It's on the border of Pennsylvania, right on the edge of Lake Erie.

-Okay.

How long have you been in Las Vegas?

-About 10 years.

-Okay.

Like it so far?

-Oh, it's so much better than Conneaut.

-I can't imagine.

No offense to Ohio.

Yeah.

No offense to Ohio, but I love Henderson.

-There you go.

Good luck with Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Dominic.

Here's 12th grader Weston.

Hey, Weston.

Nice to see you.

You are one of the most unusual high school students that I've ever met because of something that you wrote on here.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-I'm not sure which one.

-Ladies and gentlemen, here's a person with no social media accounts.

Give him a round of applause.

[applause] So Weston, is that a conscious decision or just something you just never got around to?

-Well, it does have to do with my parents.

-Oh, well, enough said.

-I'm not sure if I, like, if I was allowed to, if I still would or not.

-Okay.

Well, hopefully it'll all work out.

And maybe we'll see you on Instagram sometime.

Thank you, Weston.

And good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 11th grader Ben.

Hi, Ben.

-Hi.

-This says that you are also taking classes outside of Green Valley.

Where are you taking a class?

-CSN.

-And what are you taking?

-Calculus III.

-Because that's fun, right?

Are you doing all right there?

-Yes, sir.

-Awesome!

Well, good luck there, and good luck here.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Those are our players from Green Valley!

[applause] And our Bonus Round is coming up.

[crashing sound] So we're going into Round 2 with the score: A-Tech has 50 points.

Green Valley has 30.

We got a match here.

Now for A-Tech, they're keeping all their same players.

For Green Valley, we have some new players.

There's Erin.

Hi, Erin.

-Hi.

-Welcome to Cassidy.

Hi, Cassidy.

Delina is the captain.

And Ethan.

Let's go!

Myanmar is a former colony of which European power?

A-Tech, Carlo: England -Pardon me?

-England.

-Yes.

Bonus questions now for A-Tech only about nations.

First, which nation was invaded by the Soviets in 1979 and by the US in 2001?

Second, St. George's Channel separates Wales from what country?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Afghanistan and Ireland -Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams.

In what century did Frederic Chopin live?

A-Tech, Shivaansh: 1700s -Incorrect.

Green Valley, Erin: 18th century -No.

It was the 19th century.

No points.

We move to this question also for both teams.

A duty or a tax levied by the government on imported goods is also known as a-- Green Valley, Delina: tariff -That is correct.

Now we have bonus questions for Green Valley only about social studies.

First, what Swiss foreign policy tradition has encouraged the growth of banking?

Second, Jean Piaget posited how many stages of cognitive development?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-For the first one, the Hague System.

For the second, four.

-I didn't hear your first one.

-Hague.

-No.

They encouraged the-- foreign policy is neutrality.

But your second one was correct.

There are four stages.

Some bonus points, but not all.

Now this question for both teams.

Students, it's a calculation question.

Of 180 students in a college course, 1/4 of them got an A, 1/3 of them got a B, the rest got a C. So how many of those students got that C?

Let me-- Okay.

Green Valley, Ethan: 65 -That's incorrect.

A-Tech, Carlo: 75 -That's correct.

And now bonus calculation questions for A-Tech only.

First, if a publisher charges $15 for the first copy of a book and $12 for each additional copy, give the expression that represents the cost of "y" books; second, what's the value of x in this rational equation: 2/x-1 is equal to 3/x+1.

Ten seconds.

[students deliberate] -For the first one, we have y=15+12x.

And for the second one, 5.

The second one is correct.

I'm not sure about that first one.

First one is wrong.

Second one is correct.

Some bonus points.

We were looking for 12y+3.

Students, a question for both teams.

Finish this Dickens title: Great (blank).

A-Tech, Shivaansh: Expectations -Correct.

Bonus questions now for A-tech only about Dickens titles.

Finish the following titles: First, Bleak (blank).

And second, A Tale of (blank).

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Winter and Two Cities.

Two Cities is correct.

The first one is Bleak House.

Some bonus points.

Not all.

Question for both teams now.

Where did the St. Valentine's Day Massacre occur?

That's Green Valley, Delina: Ireland -Pardon me?

-Ireland.

-No.

[bell chimes, time expires] -It was Chicago.

Organized crime.

Next question, both teams.

Most of the Dead Sea Scrolls are written in what language?

A-Tech, Carlo: Aramaic -Incorrect.

Green Valley, Ethan: Hebrew -Correct.

Bonus Questions now for Green Valley only about languages.

First, what language was abolished from English churches in 1549?

Second, Hans Christian Andersen and Soren Kierkegaard wrote in what North Germanic language?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-For the first one, French.

For the second one, Norwegian.

-Both are incorrect.

We were looking for Latin and Danish.

No bonus points.

This question for both teams.

Unscramble the following letters that name a national capital city: L-O-U-S-E. Green Valley, Ethan: Seoul -Correct.

Bonus questions for Green Valley only.

More scrambled words.

Unscramble these letters to name national capital cities: first, M-A-I-L; second, S-O-L-O.

10 seconds.

-For the first-- -Go ahead.

-For the first one, Mali; for the second one, Oslo.

-Oslo is correct.

We were actually looking for Lima.

But I don't think Mali is a capital.

Yeah.

So some bonus points, but not all.

And we're out of time.

Our Speed Round coming up.

All right.

Going into Round 3, here's the score: A-Tech, 85 points.

Green Valley, 55.

This third round, the Speed Round, really can change the game.

Before we get there, we have one new player for A-Tech.

We say hello to William.

Welcome aboard.

Green Valley, let's see, we got a couple of new players.

Colin.

Hi, Colin.

Angela.

Hello.

And Weston is back.

Let's go.

The largest desert in North America has the same name origin as a Mexican state as well as a breed of small dog from there.

What-- A-Tech, Carlo: Chihuahua -Yeah.

Which Central American country is the only one that does not have Spanish as its own official-- And that's A-Tech, Shivaansh: Brazil -Incorrect.

--as its official language?

Green Valley, Angela: Portugal -No.

It's Belize.

Next question.

What two-word alliterative phrase is used for the maximum population size that an-- Green Valley, Ethan: carrying capacity -Yes, sir.

Well, this Latin phrase is used at the end of sentences to mean "and the rest."

Green Valley, Weston: et cetera -Correct.

Who wrote The Brothers Karamazov?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, that'll be some fun reading for you.

Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Next question.

Who is the leader of North Korea known for controversial nuclear ambitions-- Green Valley, Weston: Kim Jong-un -Correct.

Crux is the Latin name for which constellation of the Southern Hemisphere?

A-Tech, Carlo: Southern Cross -Correct.

What's the name of the fictional town that's the setting for One Hundred Years of Solitude?

[bell chimes, time expires] Macondo.

Next question.

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival featured a new movie with Harrison Ford playing which role for the last time?

A-Tech, Shivaansh: Indiana Jones -Yeah.

Hopefully you're an Indi fan.

Next question.

Who wrote The Alchemist, a novel about a shepherd's journey to discover his personal legend?

[bell chimes, time expires] Paulo Coelho.

Next is a calculation question.

We don't repeat here in the third round.

So solve for x: 2(x-4)+3=5x-1.

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] I think he got it in time.

So that's Green Valley, Weston: Zero -Incorrect.

We were looking for 5.

Next question.

Who was the first Chinese Emperor?

[bell chime, time expires] Qin Shi Huang.

What organization founded in 1960 aims to promote civil rights for African Americans through nonviolent protest?

Green Valley, Colin: NAACP -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] The Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Orwell's Animal Farm was a satire, but it was also an allegory for what major world event that started-- A-Tech, Carlo: Russian Revolution -Yes.

The Inca people built which citadel in the Eastern Cordillera mountains of Peru in the 15th century?

A-Tech, Carlo: Machu Picchu -That's correct.

Which monarch of the United Kingdom also became the first Empress of India?

A-Tech, William: Victoria I -Yes.

Next question.

Which Irish author wrote Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man?

[bell chimes, time expires] Great author.

James Joyce.

What is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world?

A-Tech, Carlo: kangaroo -No.

Green Valley, Weston: Tasmanian devil -That's right.

Next question.

Who is known for the philosophical concept of the "social contract" and also wrote-- We'll go with A-Tech, Shivaansh: John Locke -No.

--wrote Leviathan?

Green Valley, Colin: Calvin Hobbes -No.

That's the cartoon, the comic strip.

We were looking for Thomas Hobbes.

Next question.

What hormone regulates blood sugar levels?

A-Tech, Carlo: insulin -Yes.

What's the term for a government led by religious leaders?

A-Tech, Carlo: theocracy -Yes.

Which ancient author wrote that epic about the journey of Odysseus?

A-Tech, William: Homer -Yes.

What's the name for a circular current within an ocean gyre?

It could also be a diminutive name for 11 past kings of the UK.

A-Tech, Carlo: whirlpool -No.

Green Valley, Weston: cyclone -No.

It was kind of a joke.

It was supposed to be Eddy.

Next question.

Katy Perry's 2013 hit song "Roar" about self-empowerment borrowed the words "eye of a tiger" to honor what title character from a 1982 movie?

Green Valley, Ethan: Rocky -That's right.

In the law of reflection, the angle of what is equal to the angle of reflection?

A-Tech, Carlo: incidence -Pardon me?

-Incidence.

-That's right, math guy.

The universal blood donor type is O negative-- Green Valley, Ethan: AB+ -That is correct.

The weber is the SI unit for magnetic what?

A-Tech, Carlo: flux -Yes.

Insolation--with an O in the second syllable, not a U--this refers to the amount of what type of radiation received per unit area in a specific location?

Green Valley, Ethan: thermal radiation -No.

A-Tech, Carlo: solar -Yes.

What index demonstrates the overall cost of items?

A-Tech, Alfred: CPI -No.

Well, that's-- I think he's close, but I don't think we can take that.

Can we take that?

[confers with judges] So we were looking for "price," and CPI is the Consumer Price Index.

And we're out of time, so let's find out who won!

[crashing sound] All right.

Our final score this evening: A-Tech, 145 points, to Green Valley's 85.

Congratulations to both teams.

A great match.

[applause] And Advanced Technologies Academy is moving on.

And we invite you to tune in next week because Coronado will be taking on Palo Verde.

So that will be the first of our two Semifinals.

That's going to be an exciting night of Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.