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

Coming up, it's Clark... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Shadow Ridge.

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] (Nathan Tannenbaum) Hello and welcome.

This is the 55th season of Varsity Quiz.

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

We hope you know that there are now two Varsity Quiz leagues in each season's competition.

We crowned a Blue League champion a few weeks ago.

Well, now the road to the Silver League title continues as Clark is taking on Shadow Ridge.

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

Clark was undefeated in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

We'll say hello to Vivian.

Hi, Vivian.

-Hi.

-There's Shajee.

-Hi.

-There's Parth.

-Hello.

-And there's Theo.

-Hello.

-And the coaches for Clark, Amber Thacker and Lonnie Robbins.

Ladies and gentlemen, Clark High School!

[applause] Okay, so let's talk about Shadow Ridge.

They finished second in their division at a record of 4-2.

Their starters are: Kyler.

Hey, Kyler.

-Hey.

-There's Blake.

-Hi.

-Hi, Blake.

There's Miguel.

-Hello.

-And there's Ivan.

Hi, Ivan.

-Ola.

-And the coach for Shadow Ridge, Melissa Killgo.

Ladies and gentlemen, Shadow Ridge High School!

[applause] Students we have 25 questions in this first round, each correct answer worth 5 points.

And there will be a 5 point deduction if a team incorrectly answers a question before it has been fully read.

Students ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

What building blocks for computer programming consist of the set of steps needed to accomplish the task?

Clark, Parth: programs -Incorrect.

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

Next question.

What book by Salman Rushdie, inspired by the life of the prophet Muhammad, sparked controversy and a fatwa?

That's Clark, Parth: Midnight's Children -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for Th e Satanic Verses on that one.

Next question.

Which psychologist created the words and concepts behind "ego" and "superego"?

Clark, Vivian: Carl Jung -Incorrect.

That's Shadow Ridge, Ivan: Sigmund Freud -That is correct.

We got points on the board.

Let's keep going.

In June of 2023, the US Supreme Court reached a decision in two cases that advocates have called "a huge win for free speech on the internet."

There were two tech companies involved in the cases.

Name either one of them.

And that's Clark, Shajee: Microsoft -Incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Blake: Twitter -Yes.

The other one, Google.

Let's continue.

The World Health Organization announced in May of 2023 that what group of food additives used by a calorie conscious people actually really may not lead to weight loss?

Clark, Parth: artificial sweeteners -That is correct.

Points on the board for Clark.

Let's keep going.

What commonly used Latin phrase means "and others"?

Clark, Parth: et al.

-That's correct.

What is the term for the rotating column of air that forms during a tornado?

Clark, Parth: a supercell -Incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: the eye -No.

We were looking for a vortex.

No points.

Next question.

In 2023, Grandma's birthday, October 26, fell on a Thursday.

Well, planning ahead for a big trip, what day of the week will her birthday be in the next leap year?

Shadow Ridge, Blake: Saturday -Yes.

Next question.

What's the value of the mathematical constant "e" approximately equal to?

Clark, Parth: 2.7 -Can we take that?

Yes.

Points on the board continuing for Clark.

Next question.

The Bard of Avon was actually from what town upon the Avon River?

Clark, Parth: Avon upon Stratford -Can we take that?

[confers with judges] No.

She says incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were just looking for Stratford, Stratford on Avon.

Next question.

Which Middle Eastern country with a capital of Sana'a was involved in a long-running-- And that's Clark, Theo: Yemen -Correct.

Next question.

Which Italian Renaissance artist did not lay on his back to paint the famous ceiling-- Clark, Parth: Michelangelo -Yes.

Who saved lives by finding that those who had the mild cowpox did not get the deadly smallpox?

Clark, Parth: Pasture -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] Edward Jenner.

Next question.

The two different meanings of this homonym kind of makes sense.

So what word can mean "a violent and sudden change in something" or "an upward displacement of part of the Earth's crust"?

Clark, Shajee: a shift -Incorrect.

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

So that's Shadow Ridge, Blake: aversion -No.

We were looking for upheaval.

Next question.

The chemical formula that contains what two elements would spell the shortened and common short word of greeting?

Clark, Shajee: helium and iodine -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] Hydrogen and iodine.

Next question.

Which character starred in A Study in Scarlet-- Clark, Parth: Sherlock Holmes -Indeed.

Next question.

Mark wrote a paper using information from the 1968 book Robert Todd Lincoln: A Man in His Own Right.

So what type of source was this book?

Clark, Parth: primary -Incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Blake: secondary -Yes.

Next question.

What computer term can be defined as "the conversion of data into code to prevent unauthorized access"?

Clark, Parth: encryption -Yes.

The Nancy Grace Roman infrared telescope, named after NASA's first Chief of Astronomy who led in the '60s and '70s, well, its primary purpose after its 2027 launch will be to study what repulsive force that counteracts gravity?

Clark, Parth: dark energy -Yes.

Which country has the most official languages, at 37, because its constitution recognizes Spanish and all 36 indigenous languages, including Quechua.

That's Clark, Shajee: Mexico -Incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: Brazil -No.

It is Bolivia.

Next question.

Which character from a French novel had aliases that included Monsieur Leblank and Urbain Fabre as he tried to stay away from going back to prison?

Clark, Parth: Les Miserables -Nope.

[bell chimes, time expires] We needed the character Jean Valjean.

You knew that.

Next question is a calculation question, students.

Simplify this expression: The quantity (3x + 2)(x - 5).

Repeating.

Simplify the expression (3x + 2)-- We'll go with Clark, Parth: 3x squared minus 13x minus 10 -Is that correct, judge?

I think that's incorrect.

Our judges are thinking about it.

Okay.

Yes!

That is a correct answer.

Next question.

Which highly toxic hydrocarbon with a formula of C6H6 is used in many products including gasoline, resins, synthetics, pesticides?

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: lead -No.

Clark, Shajee: butane -No.

Benzene.

A government forces its citizens to deny their beliefs and cultures to fit into the ideology of the government.

This is an example of what?

Clark, Shajee: authoritarianism -Incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: dictatorship -No.

We were looking for assimilation.

What does oology study?

Clark, Parth: eggs -Can we take that?

Yes, we sure can.

Hey, that wraps up our first round.

Let's give a round of applause to both of these teams.

[applause] But before we move on, we're gonna take a moment to learn a little bit more about our players.

So we're gonna start over here with Clark.

We have 12th grader Vivian.

Hi, Vivian.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

It says you have unusual pets.

-Yeah.

My family raises chickens.

So we have like a coop of around 10 to 12 chickens, and they lay eggs for us.

-Can you tell any of them apart?

-There's like the brown ones, and then there's like, the more brown ones.

-Do they have names and everything?

-Some of them.

-Okay.

The noisy ones probably.

-Yeah.

-Well, good luck with the chickens, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Vivian.

Here's 12th grader Shajee.

Hey, Shajee.

-Hi.

-Says you speak a few languages.

What are they?

And you're learning another one?

Well, obviously English and then also Urdu, Spanish, and Hindi.

-And you're learning another one?

-I'm learning Spanish, trying to get more advanced.

-Well, good luck with all that, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Shajee.

-Thank you.

-Here's 12th grader Parth.

Hey, Parth.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

It says you have your college plan sort of locked up but you're not sure what college you're going to.

What are you gonna major in?

-I want to major in physics and then maybe dual major in CS.

-And do what?

-Dual major in CS.

-Oh, because why not?

-Yeah.

-All right.

Well, good luck with that, Parth, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 10th grader Theo.

Hi, Theo.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

Says you have traveled all around the world.

How many countries?

-About seven.

I've been to Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Korea, and the Philippines.

-And you got some more travel plans?

-Yep.

I'm planning to go to Japan this summer.

-Wow!

Good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, those are students from Clark High School.

[applause] Let's meet our players from Shadow Ridge.

We will start with 12th grader Kyler.

Hey, Kyler.

-What's up?

-Says you play a couple of musical instruments.

What do you play?

-I play clarinet and saxophone.

-Do you have a favorite, or do you care?

-I like saxophone.

It's just, you know, more cool, swag.

-All right.

You gotta go for the swag.

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

Thanks, Kyler.

-Here's 12th grader Blake.

Hi, Blake.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you.

It says here you participate in track and field.

-Yes.

-What event do you do?

-I run hurdles.

I do the 100 meter hurdles and 300 meter hurdles.

-Wow!

And that you've gone to the state a couple of times?

-I went to regionals twice, and I missed out on state by just half a second.

-Wow!

Well, good luck with that, whatever you do.

-Thank you.

-Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

That's cool.

Here's 12th grader Miguel.

Hi, Miguel.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you.

This says that you are very proud of something during your school years.

Do you remember what you wrote down here?

-My attendance.

-That's exactly right.

-A very long streak.

-That's pretty cool.

I mean, sick days, you don't care?

You're not going to make others sick?

-No.

I always gotta be there.

-Keep up the perfect attendance.

Thanks, Miguel.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 12th grader Ivan.

Hi, Ivan.

-Hello.

-Apparently, you guys are having some deal where you're talking about how many pounds you can benchpress?

-Yeah, we all decided to put that on our-- -And what's your number?

-135.

Nothing too impressive, but it's bodyweight.

-Well, you keep working on it.

-I'll get up there one day.

-That's right.

-I'll do it for you.

-Thank you.

Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, the students from Shadow Ridge High School.

[applause] All right.

The Bonus Round coming up.

[crashing sound] Going into Round 2 now, the score with Clark having 50 points to Shadow Ridge's 20.

Before we start the Bonus Round, we have new players we want to say hello to.

For Clark, hello to Aaron.

-Hi.

-Welcome aboard.

And there's Varun.

Hi, Varun.

-Hi.

-Welcome.

A couple of new players for Shadow Ridge.

We say hello to Kyla.

Hi, Kyla.

-Hey.

-And there's Jackson.

-How's it going?

-Good luck.

Now here in this bonus round, each of 10 possible questions is worth 5 points.

Now, a team if they get a correct answer, we give them two bonus questions also each worth 5 points.

And we do that team conferring thing on these questions where you have 10 seconds before we require an answer from the team's captain.

Now, this round is timed at 6 minutes, and that starts as I read this question.

The author's last name is Golding.

The plot is schoolboys marooned on an island turned into savages-- And that's Clark, Aaron: Lord of the Flies -Correct.

Bonus questions now for Clark only where we give you the author's last name and a plot summary.

Then you have to name the title.

First, London: a pet dog is stolen and sold as a working dog; second, Hemingway: a fisherman reels in the catch of his dreams.

You have 10 seconds.

[student deliberate] - Call of the Wild, Old Man and the Sea -That's correct.

Bonus points for Clark.

And this question for both teams.

How many prime numbers are there between 10 and 20?

Clark, Parth: Four -Correct.

Bonus questions for Clark only about numbers.

First, midterm elections for US congressional representatives are held how many years after Presidential elections?

Second, how many kilocalories are needed to raise the temperature of 5 kilograms of pure water 3 degrees Celsius?

[students deliberate] -Two and 15 -You got both bonus questions.

And now this question for both teams.

In what city was President John F. Kennedy killed?

Clark, Shajee: Dallas -Correct.

Bonus questions now for Clark only about assassinations.

First, in what city was Abraham Lincoln assassinated?

Second, in what city was Julius Caesar assassinated?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Memphis and Rome -Abraham Lincoln was killed in Washington, D.C., and Caesar was killed in Rome.

So you get some bonus points but not all.

For both teams now, this calculation question.

Adam tried to compute an average of his seven test scores.

He mistakenly divided the correct sum of all of his test scores by six, which yielded an answer of 84.

So what is Adam's correct average test score?

Clark, Parth: 72 -Correct.

Bonus calculation questions now for Clark only.

First, if 2(x-5) = -11, then what does x equal?

Second, if the area of circle A is 16 pi, what is the circumference of circle B if its radius is half that of the circle?

Let me repeat.

First question, if 2(x-5) = -11, What does x equal?

Second, if the area of circle A is 16 pi, what's the circumference of circle B if its radius is half that of circle A?

- -1/2 and 4 pi.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

This question for both teams.

What country is the city of Basra in?

Clark, Parth: Iran -That's incorrect.

Shadow Ridge, Blake: Russia -No.

It's in Iraq.

Next question for both teams.

When Xerxes became king, what people were his Number 1 enemy?

Clark, Aaron: the Greeks -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Clark only about ancient history.

First, what event was recounted 400 years after it happened by the poet Homer?

Second, the most prominent Colosseum in the ancient world was located where?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Trojan War and Rome -Both are correct.

You got more bonus points.

And now this question for both teams.

What's the common oxidation state for argon?

Clark, Parth: Zero -Correct.

Bonus questions for Clark only about chemistry.

First, what's the maximum number of electrons that can occupy an "S," as in Sam, orbital?

Second, what's the oxidation number of nitrogen in Na-NO2?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Two and +3 -That is correct.

And we move on to a question for both teams.

Which theory encompassed and superseded "continental drift"?

Shadow Ridge, Blake: Pangaea -Pardon me?

-Pangaea.

-That's incorrect.

Clark, Parth: Sea force flooding -No.

We were looking for plate tectonics.

It superseded continental drift.

Next question for both teams.

Which CS Lewis book is subtitled The Return to Narnia?

That's Shadow Ridge, Blake: Chronicles of Narnia -Incorrect.

Clark, Varun: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -No.

It was Prince Caspian.

You were in the right ballpark though.

Next question for both teams.

There are two major groups of vascular seed plants.

We want you to name the group which are flowering plants and is the largest-- And we'll go with Clark, Park: angiosperms -Correct.

Bonus questions now for Clark only about plants.

First, from what plant was paper originally made?

Second, what are the small openings in the leaves of most plants called?

Ten seconds.

-papyrus and stomata -Bonus points for you guys.

And that's it for Round 2.

However, don't go anywhere.

Let's give a round of applause to both teams.

This is fun.

Hope you guys are having fun.

[applause] Before we move on, we want to take a moment to say thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

They have provided decades of help for the in-school Varsity Quiz competitions that lead us to where we are here at Vegas PBS.

And hey, shout out, too, to the staff and the leadership of the Clark County School District's Student Activities department because they coordinate every single step from early in the school year all the way to the championships.

All right.

Speed Round coming up.

[crashing sound] -Score going into Round 3: Clark has 150 points to Shadow Ridge's 20.

This third round, we call it the Speed Round for a reason.

Anything can happen.

Before we go, we got a couple of new players.

For Clark we say hello to Vishaal.

Hi, Vishaal.

-Hi.

-And there's Michu.

Hey, Michu.

-Hey.

-Welcome.

Vivian is a returning player, and Aaron hasn't gone anywhere.

All right.

For Shadow Ridge, Ivan is back.

And we have a new player, Tyler.

Welcome Tyler.

-What's crackin?

-Okay.

So in this Speed Round, there are 30 questions, each correct answer again worth 5 points.

This round is also timed at six minutes.

We get to as many questions as we can.

If we get to all 30 before the six minutes is up, obviously the match will be over.

So let's get this party started.

In The Giver, what's the name of the utopian society?

[bell chimes, time expires] No Giver readers?

The Community.

Next question is a calculation question, and we do not repeat in the third round.

So please determine the secant of a 60-degree angle.

[bell chimes, time expires] -Wow.

Two.

All right, next question.

Which famous space telescope was launched by NASA in 1999 to observe distant galaxies and their formation?

Shadow Ridge, Blake: Hubble -Yeah.

Next question.

What's the musical term for a gradual decrease in volume?

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: decrescendo -Yes.

Next question.

What's the head of government called in the United Kingdom?

Clark, Vivian: prime minister -Yes.

The Andes Mountains were home to which major ancient civilization?

Clark, Aaron: the Incas -Yes.

The rhyming book, The Butter Battle Book, about the Yooks and the Zooks was which author's state-- Shadow Ridge, Blake: Dr. Seuss -Yep.

"SI" [see] is not a backwards way of saying international system.

It is the way of saying it in which language?

Shadow Ridge, Ivan: Spanish -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] -It's French.

Next question.

In physics, hertz is not a place where you rent cars.

It's a unit of measurement of what?

Clark, Vivian: sound -Nope.

Shadow Ridge, Blake: energy -No.

Frequency.

Next question.

In Brave New World, what's the name of the protagonist?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, come on.

Bernard Marx.

Which Roman emperor was known for his construction work, including the Pantheon in Rome and a wall in England?

Clark, Vivian: Hadrian -Yes.

What type of succession occurs in an area that has been disturbed but still has soil?

That's Clark, Vivian: secondary succession -Yes.

Which city is often referred to as "Chi-town" or the "Second City?"

[bell chimes, time expires] -Chicago.

What's the densest naturally occurring element?

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: bismuth -No.

Clark, Michu: osmium -That's right.

Next question.

Which sea surrounded by four currents that confine its waters--including the Gulf Stream on the east, Canary Current on the south--is the only sea in the world with no land boundaries?

Clark, Aaron: North Sea -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] The Sargasso Sea.

What novel by Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir and Hassan against the backdrop of Afghanistan's tumultuous history?

Clark, Vivian: A Thousand Splendid Suns -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Check out The Kite Runner.

Next question.

What parts of the pancreas produce insulin?

[bell chimes, time expires] -No biology majors?

The Islets of Langerhans.

Next question.

Which Nigerian author wrote Things Fall Apart-- Clark, Aaron: Achebe -Yes.

What English philosopher is known for his theory of empiricism and the concept of the "tabula rasa"?

Shadow Ridge, Tyler: Ibn Khaldun -Nope.

[bell chimes, time expires] -John Locke.

Next question.

Where are antibodies produced?

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: white blood cells -No.

Clark, Vishaal: lymph nodes -Yes.

Next question.

Where in the atom would you find the difference between an element and its isotopes?

Clark, Michu: the...nucleus There we go.

-There you go.

All right.

Next question.

What's the principle that no one is above the law?

What's that called?

Clark, Michu: checks and balances -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] -It's the Rule of Law.

And we move on.

What's the name for the boundary between the Earth's crust and mantle?

Clark, Michu: the Mohorovicic discontinuity -That's exactly right.

What sport is the most associated with the mountains of Switzerland?

Shadow Ridge, Kyler: skiing -Yeah.

That's kind of a no-brainer, right?

Where does Jane Eyre work as a governess?

[bell chimes, time expires] Thornfield Hall.

Next question.

Which shoe brand was named for the ancient Greek deity of victory?

Clark, Vivian: Nike -"Just Do It," yeah.

What's the capital of Australia?

Clark, Aaron: Canberra -Yep.

What type of electromagnetic radiation has the longest wavelength?

Clark, Michu: radio -Can we take that?

Yes.

Which American author was known for his macabre short stories?

Ridge, Kyler: Edgar Allan Poe -Yes, sir.

What's the process by which dead organic matter breaks down?

Ridge, Kyler: decomposition -That's right.

Hey, we're out of questions.

Let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] -Final score tonight: Clark has 210 points to Shadow Ridge's 50.

Let's give both of these teams a round of applause.

[applause] A good match.

Congratulations to Clark on the win.

They'll be moving on, but we want you to tune in next week because we're going to have Palo Verde taking on Moapa Valley.

That's going to be a good match on Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.

Good night!

[applause] ♪♪♪