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

-Coming up, it's Cadwallader... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] This is Junior Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪ [cheers and applause] -Hello and welcome to the 56th season of Varsity Quiz.

It continues now with Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's an honor to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

So back in February, there were eight middle and junior high school teams that competed in a Virtual JVQ League.

Back in March, we had 30 middle and junior high school teams competing in two different leagues, Blue and Silver, in a one-day tournament over at Chaparral High School.

It was a lot of fun.

Now, just a week ago, we celebrated Miller Middle School's Blue League team as they defeated Rogich in the Blue League Championship.

But here we are for a Silver League Semifinal.

The winner of tonight's match will move on to the 2025 JVQ Silver League Championship right here on Vegas PBS.

Well, let's meet today's players.

We'll start with Cadwallader.

We have Brady.

Hi, Brady.

-Hi.

-There's Aleli.

-Hi.

-There's Teagan.

-Hi.

-And there's Beckett.

-Hi.

-And the coach for Cadwallader, Amanda Van Patten.

Ladies and gentlemen, Cadwallader!

[cheers and applause] Now let's meet our starters for Miller.

There's Ayan.

Hey, Ayan.

-Yiming.

-Hi.

-Oliver.

-Hi.

-And Ryan.

-Hello.

-And the coaches for Miller, Erick Ekker and Celia Erickson.

That's Miller!

[cheers and applause] Ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

What is the stretch of water that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea?

That's Miller, Ayan: the Strait of Gibraltar -That's incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for the Strait of Magellan.

No points.

We move on to the next question.

What 2024 album with a lime green cover, includes the song "360"-- And that's Cadwallader, Teagan: Brat by Charli xcx -You got it.

That's points for Cadwallader, and we move on.

This department was promised to deliver a "smaller government with more efficiency and less bureaucracy"-- Miller, Ayan: Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE -That is correct.

We move on.

You got points.

Let's keep going.

This athlete played in both a World Series and a Super Bowl.

What father of Shilo-- That's Miller, Oliver: Deion Sanders -That is correct.

In November 2024, antisemitic clashes arose due to a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in what European city-- That's Miller, Oliver: Tel Aviv -Incorrect, and an interruption.

--the capital of the Netherlands?

[bell chimes, time expires] No answer.

We were looking for Amsterdam.

We move on.

What establishments, such as the chain Golden Corral-- Miller, Oliver: buffet -Yes.

Next is a calculation question, students.

Mitchell can run a mile in 10 minutes.

Sophia can run a mile in 8 minutes.

If they both run for an hour, how many more miles will Sophia run than Mitchell?

Let me repeat.

Mitchell runs a mile in 10 minutes.

Sophia runs a mile in 8 minutes.

If they both run for one hour-- We'll go with Cadwallader, Aleli: 1.5 miles -That is correct.

A little bit louder next time, Aleli.

We got you though.

Let's move on.

What phenomenon occurs when two countries perform an exchange of goods?

Miller, Oliver: trade -That's right.

These boundaries are the site of Hawking radiation and have a radius equal to the Schwarzschild radius.

Name these boundaries beyond which no light can escape a black hole.

Miller, Ayan: the event horizon -Yes.

Next question.

France celebrates the storming of this location-- That's Miller, Oliver: the Bastille -That is correct.

Next question.

Which of your brain's three main parts includes, as one of its four lobes, the parietal lobe that lets you-- We'll go with Miller, Ayan: the cerebrum -Yes.

What lead character of five action movies has also been featured in video games whose titles also begin with his name and end with things like "and the Emperor's Tomb," "and the Infernal Machine," and "in the Lost Kingdom"?

Miller, Oliver: Emperor -Incorrect.

Cadwallader, Aleli: Indiana Jones -That's right.

Ask your parents and grandparents, okay?

Next question.

This quantity can be measured in joules per coulomb and is defined as the difference in electric potential between two locations.

Miller, Ayan: voltage -Yes.

This function can be computed using the Euclidean algorithm.

What operation, given two numbers, gives the largest number which goes into both of them-- That's Miller, Ayan: greatest common denominator -That's incorrect.

--which goes into both of them evenly?

Cadwallader, Teagan: Pythagorean theorem -No.

We were looking for greatest common factor, the GCF, not the denominator.

Next question.

This person claimed that gold-digging ants lived in India.

Name-- Miller, Yiming: Herodotus -That is correct.

What retail company based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is the largest-- That's Miller, Oliver: WalMart -That's right.

The closest call to nuclear war occurred after Nikita Khrushchev sent missiles to what island-- Miller, Oliver: Cuba -Yes.

How about another calculation question, students?

Here we go.

There's a Junior Varsity Quiz tournament with 12 teams who each play each other once.

So how many games are played-- Miller, Ayan: 66 -That's correct.

We move on.

This monarch's spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, discovered Babington's plot to replace her-- Miller, Yiming: Queen Elizabeth I -Yes.

You're on your jet ski speeding across a lake.

You suddenly turn your handlebars, causing the ski to make an abrupt left while your body flies off in a straight line.

This illustrates what phenomenon in the physical sciences?

Miller, Ayan: centrifugal velocity -Incorrect.

Cadwallader, Beckett: Newton's first law of motion -No.

We were looking for the word "inertia."

No points.

Next question.

What word can mean any or all of the following: to put a coating on something, to drop below someone's line of sight, guacamole at a party, or to sneak out of a party early?

Cadwallader, Brady: dip -That's right.

Don't dip on me, man.

Here's another question.

What leader targeted several Jewish medical specialists in the doctors' plot and starved millions of people during their failed Five-Year Plans as the Premiere of the Soviet Union-- That's Miller, Ayan: Joseph Stalin -That's correct.

Next question.

The woman who looks at the viewer's right is based on its artist's sister, Nan, while its artist's dentist, Byron McKeeby, is the model for the man holding a pitchfork in his right hand.

Name this 1930 painting by Grant Wood.

Miller, Oliver: The Farmer Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] Time.

We were looking for American Gothic.

I bet you'd recognize it if you saw it.

Next question.

The Nagorno-Karabakh territory has been disputed between Armenia and what other country-- Miller, Ayan: Azerbaijan -Yes.

Next question.

Brendan Carr succeeded Jessica Rosenworcel as head of what federal agency that regulates broadcasting?

Miller, Oliver: Federal Television Communication -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for the FCC, the Federal Communications Commission.

Okay, so that wraps up Round 1.

How about a round of applause for both teams.

[applause] But don't go anywhere, because we want to take a second here to just learn a little bit more about our players.

We'll start with Cadwallader.

We have 8th grader, Brady.

Hi, Brady.

-Hi.

-You having fun?

-Yep.

-You wrote on your biography-- biographical card here that you participate in a sport that's also a hobby of yours.

Do you remember?

-Yep.

Hockey.

-So how long you been doing hockey?

-Like six years.

-Do you love it?

-Yeah.

-Play on a team?

-Yeah.

-Are you playing right now?

-No.

Our season just ended.

-Okay.

How'd you guys do?

-We did pretty good.

-Awesome.

Keep it up.

Good luck with that and Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Brady.

Here's 8th grader Aleli.

Hi, Aleli.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

-For a hobby, you wrote down something a little bit strange.

Is it okay if I tell people what that was?

One of Aleli's hobbies is staring at ceiling fans.

How did that happen?

-You know, the ceiling fans are just really fun to watch spin around.

-If it works for you, Aleli, that's all we need to know.

Good luck with your staring at ceiling fan.

-Thank you.

-And good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thank you, Aleli.

Here's another 8th grader, Teagan.

Hi, Teagan.

-Hi.

-You play a musical instrument.

What do you play?

-Yeah, I play the viola.

-How long you been doing that?

-Three years now.

-Are you in the school orchestra?

-Yeah.

We just had a festival this morning.

-Awesome.

Good luck with that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Teagan.

Here's 8th grader Beckett.

Hey, Beckett.

-Hi.

-You wrote you participate in a sport people might not think of so much as a sport, but that you've done pretty well.

-Yeah, archery.

Yeah.

We just had a tournament.

I got fifth place in the state.

-Dude, that's pretty good.

-Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, our players from Cadwallader Middle School.

[cheers and applause] Okay.

Let's meet our players from Miller Middle School.

We start with 8th grader Ayan.

Hey, Ayan.

-Hello.

-You said that you have a hobby that is one of the most difficult games to play and win.

How have you been doing at chess?

-I'm doing pretty good.

I just crossed the 1,000 rating line.

-Good.

So you're doing well.

Keep it up, man, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thank you.

Here's 7th grader Yiming.

Hi, Yiming.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

You wrote that you have traveled to another part of the world.

You remember what country?

-Japan.

-Yeah.

When did you do that?

-This summer.

-Was it fun?

-Yes.

-Awesome.

You want to go back?

-Yes.

-Good luck with that.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 8th grader Oliver.

Hi, Oliver.

-Hello.

-You also wrote something strange.

Do you remember what you wrote as an interesting fact?

-I said that I like lettuce.

I may not look like it, but I "straight out the bag" after taco night.

-Let's go.

So get together with Aleli.

She'll look at ceiling fans, and you'll have lettuce.

Good luck with that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

We have 8th grader Ryan.

Hey, Ryan.

-Hi.

-You play a musical instrument.

-Yes.

The trombone.

-Trombone?

-Yes.

-How long doing that?

-About 3 1/2-ish years now.

-In the school band?

-Yeah, and on my own time too.

-Wonderful.

Good luck with that and on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, our players from Miller Middle School.

Stick around.

The bonus round is next.

Going into Round 2, here's your score: Cadwallader with 25 points to Miller's 65.

If you're keeping score at home, the judges decided that the answer given about the jet ski was correct, that inertia and Newton's law are the same thing, so they got some additional points there.

Hey, we have a couple of new players for Cadwallader.

We say hello to Ben.

Hey, Ben.

-Hello.

-And Louis.

Hey, Louis.

-Hi.

-Welcome aboard.

Miller has one new player, Tejasvi.

Hi, Tejasvi.

Nice to see you.

-Nice to see you too.

-This round is timed at six minutes, and that time starts as I read this question: Fibers such as wool and cotton are spun into a ball of this material, which is used in-- That's Miller, Ayan: yarn -Yes.

Now bonus questions about yarn for Miller only.

First, name the type of yarn work that's done with a hook to make looped and interlinked chains.

Second, name the early machine used for turning fiber into thread or yarn, which was then woven into cloth.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our answers are sewing machine for second one.

-What was your first one?

-We don't have one.

-Okay.

So no bonus points.

We were looking for crochet and spinning wheel.

So you get points for the original question, but no bonus points.

Now this tossup is for both teams: Name the Danish author who wrote Thumbelina and The Ugly Duckling.

That's Miller, Yiming: Hans Christian Andersen -Correct.

Now bonus questions about Hans Christian Andersen for Miller only.

First, what's the name of the story where a princess can feel a tiny object through 20 mattresses?

Second, which story tells of a vain emperor who gets tricked into wearing invisible clothes?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our answers are Princess and the Peach and The Emperor in His Clothes.

-I don't-- I don't think either one of those was right.

You were so close.

It's The Princess and the Pea.

We thought you said "peach."

And it's The Emperor's New Clothes.

So you were close, but no bonus points.

You still get points for the original question.

Now this tossup for both teams.

Dwight Eisenhower's Vice President was what man-- That's Miller, Oliver: Richard Nixon -Correct.

Bonus questions now for Miller only about US Presidents.

First, what first Tennessee Representative to the United States House was elected President in 1828, 13 years after becoming a military hero for winning the war of 1812's Battle of New Orleans?

Second, name this man who served as George Washington's Vice President before becoming President himself in 1797.

You have 10 seconds.

-Answers.

-Oh, go ahead.

-Our answers are Andrew Jackson and John Adams.

-Both are correct.

Now you do have bonus points.

Here's a toss-up question for both teams: Which Broadway musical's title character hides his facial scars with a white mask-- And that's Cadwallader, Teagan: Phantom of the Opera -That's correct.

Hey, we have bonus questions now for Cadwallader only.

These are about music.

First, "La Marseillaise" and "God Save the Tsar" are heard in this piece that includes a part for a canon.

Tchaikovsky composed this overture that commemorates a Russian victory against Napoleon's army in the title year.

Second, which Christmas carol borrows its tune from "Greensleeves"?

And the answer to the question in the title is "The babe, the son of Mary."

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Okay.

Our answer for the second is, "What Child is This?"

-Okay.

You're skipping the first one?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

The first one was the "1812 Overture," and "What Child is This" is correct.

So you get some bonus points.

And now a tossup for both teams.

It's a calculation question, students.

Answer the following about a basketball team with eight players on it: If one player played 10 minutes, four of the players played 20 minutes, and three of the players play 30 minutes, how long was the game, assuming they always had five players on the court?

Let me repeat.

It's about a basketball team with eight players.

One player plays 10 minutes-- We'll go with Miller, Ayan: 36 minutes -That is correct.

Now bonus calculation questions for Miller only.

First, what's the volume of a cube whose surface area is 150 square units?

Second, what's the slope of the line represented by the equation 3x + y = 5?

I'll repeat both.

First, what's the volume of a cube whose surface area is 150 square units?

Second, what's the slope of the line represented by the equation 3x + y = 5?

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our answers are 125 cubic units and -3.

-Both are correct.

You've got bonus points.

Here's a tossup for both teams: In the Aboriginal Dreamtime, a "rainbow," one of these animals creates life-- Miller, Yiming: snake -Yes.

Bonus questions now about mythology for Miller Middle School only.

First, in Chinese mythology, the nine suns are shot by Hou Yi, the husband of a deity of this entity.

Artemis represents this celestial body of the night sky in Greek mythology.

Second, this god from Norse mythology is the gatekeeper of the Bifrost Bridge.

He'll blow the Gjallarhorn to announce the start of the final battle of Ragnarok.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our answers are moon and [indistinct].

-Moon is correct.

The other one is Heimdall.

You get some bonus points, but not all.

Tossup for both teams.

Here we go.

What-- Oh, time?

Sorry, we're out of time.

How about a round of applause?

[applause] Speed round coming right up.

Okay.

The score going into Round 3: Cadwallader has 35 points.

Miller has 115 points.

We say it when we go into this round, because we mean it.

Anything can happen.

Now for Cadwallader, a couple of returning players.

We welcome back Brady and Beckett.

-Hi.

-Welcome back.

Miller has one new player.

We say hello to Joseph.

Hey, Joseph.

Good to see you.

Let's go.

What AFC South team in the NFL that was formerly coached by Mike Vrabel and once-- We'll go with Miller, Oliver: the Tennessee Titans -Correct.

Weather occurs in this lowermost layer of the atmosphere.

Miller, Ayan: the troposphere -Correct.

Dartmouth College lies along what river forming New Hampshire's western border, the largest in New England?

Miller, Ayan: Saratoga River -Incorrect.

[buzzer sound] [bell chimes] I believe he got in before the buzzer.

That's Cadwallader, Louis: the New England River -Nope.

It's the Connecticut River.

No points.

We move on.

What team in the Saudi Pro League does Cristiano Ronaldo-- Miller, Oliver: Al-Nassr -Correct.

What monarch addressed his nation in the Jewel Voice Broadcast, which ended Japanese involvement in World War II?

Miller, Yiming: Emperor Hirohito -Correct.

Name the rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose, created in 1915, as a doll actually introduced to the public in a book from 1918.

Miller, Oliver: Caroline -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Ask your parents or grandparents about Raggedy Ann.

We move on.

Gerald Ford's presidential library is in this city.

It's the home to University of Michigan's main campus.

Miller, Oliver: Ann Arbor -Correct.

Which European city's main waterway is called the Grand Canal?

Miller, Oliver: Venice -Yes.

Which kingdom built the Library of Ashurbanipal?

Miller, Oliver: Egypt -I don't think we can take that, no.

[bell chimes, time expires] The Assyrian Empire.

Next question.

Name the condition that results in characteristic crescent shaped erythrocytes in its sickle cell form.

Miller, Ayan: anemia -Yes.

Next question.

AABA quatrains called ruba'i make up a poetic work by Omar Khayyam written in what language that's spoken in Iran?

Miller, Yiming: Persian -Yes.

Name the country that makes chocolate covered biscuit sticks called Pocky.

Cadwallader, Louis: Cote d'Or -Pardon me?

-Cote d'Or.

-No.

Miller, Yiming: Japan -Correct.

Next question.

What members of the Brothers of Italy party serves as her country's first female prime minister?

And that's Miller, Oliver: Italy -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for the name of the first female prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Next question.

What island that gives its name to copper is divided by the green line into Turkish and Greek halves-- And that's Miller, Ayan: Cyprus -Correct.

Give this term for a loan that's taken out to buy a house.

Miller, Oliver: mortgage -Yes.

What color names a second full moon of a month?

Miller, Ayan: the color blue -Yes.

This city's International Airport lies in a neighboring state's Boone County.

What city was named after a Revolutionary War officer's society and is in Southwest Ohio?

Miller, Oliver: Cincinnati -Correct.

What word means the absence of any form of political authority?

Miller, Oliver: anarchy -Yes.

Canadian author Alice Munro titled a story after what satellites, which include Callisto, Io, and Ganymede?

Miller, Ayan: moons -I think we need more.

-Moons of Jupiter.

-Correct.

This musical's songs include "Iowa Stubborn" and "Seventy-Six Trombones."

Name this Meredith Willson musical about the con man Harold Hill.

Miller, Oliver: Harold Hill the Con Man -Good guess, but no.

[bell chimes, time expires] You gotta check out The Music Man.

Next.

Name the west coast university, where Phillip Zimbardo conducted its namesake prison experiment in Palo Alto.

Miller, Ayan: Alcatraz -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] It was Stanford University.

Next question.

This Emperor is said to have fiddled during the Great Fire-- Miller, Yiming: Nero -Correct.

Name the operation which is equal to AD minus BC in a-- And that's Miller, Ayan: determinate -Yes.

Which long serving Nevada United States Senator was the Senate Majority Leader from 2007-- Miller, Oliver: Harry Reid -Yes.

This phrase originates from "there are no troubles" in Swahili.

Timon the Meerkat, Pumbaa the Warthog sing about-- Miller, Ayan: hakuna matata -I love that.

Yes.

What rebellion started at the Springfield Armory, showed the new United States the need to replace the Articles of Confederation?

[bell chime, time expires] Looking for Shays' Rebellion.

Encephalitis is the inflammation of what part of the body?

Miller, Ayan: the cephalopods -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for your brain.

Next question.

What phenomenon described by NASA as "a star-forming cloud of dust" has examples-- Miller, Ayan: nebula -That is correct.

We're out of time.

Let's find out who won.

Our final score: Cadwallader with 35 points.

Miller with 215.

How about thanks to both teams for an excellent match.

[applause] And congratulations to Miller Middle School.

They'll be meeting the winner of next week's match.

That's going to be between the Thurman White Academy and Rogich Middle School for the title of JVQ Silver League Champion.

Tune in next Monday at 7:30 for more Junior Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.