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

-Coming up, it's Garside... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Greenspun!

[cheers and applause] This is the Junior Varsity Quiz Virtual League Championship!

♪♪ Hello and welcome.

This 57th season of Varsity Quiz continues now with the Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's an honor to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

So with Junior Varsity Quiz back in February and March, there were 18 different middle and junior high school teams competing in a Virtual JVQ League.

Garside and Greenspun consistently placed in the top of the matches to earn their place here today.

Let's meet our players.

We're going to start with Garside.

We've got Kenneth.

Hey, Kenneth.

-Hi.

-There's Bruce.

There's Connor.

And there's Liam.

And the coaches for Garside, Angela Williams, John Watt, and Jesus Lopez-Rojas.

Ladies and gentlemen, Garside.

[applause] Okay.

Now for Greenspun, their starters, there's Sawyer.

Hey, Sawyer.

Christopher, howdy.

Charlie, hello.

And Tommy.

And the coach for Greenspun, Andrew Slocum.

Ladies and gentlemen, Greenspun.

[applause] Ready?

Let's play Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's a myth that noodles were first brought to this country from China.

Instead, which country gave us spaghetti, macaroni, and other favorite pastas?

That's Greenspun, Charlie: Italy -That's right.

Points on the board for Greenspun.

We keep going.

Which epic fantasy trilogy by J.R.R.

Tolkien, published in the 1950s, redefined modern fantasy literature?

That's Greenspun, Christopher: The Lord of the Rings -Yes.

Let's keep going.

What term in tennis indicates a lengthy stroke-to-stroke exchange before a point?

Garside, Liam: a volley -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] You were on the right track.

It's a rally.

No points, but we keep moving.

What do we call the longest diagonal of a rectangular prism?

Greenspun, Christopher: the hypotenuse -No.

Before the buzzer?

-A height?

-No.

We were looking for the space diagonal or the body interior diagonal.

We keep moving on.

Which Scottish queen was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth I?

[bell chimes, time expires] Oh, you'll kick yourself.

Mary, Queen of Scots.

No points.

Next question.

What's the term for the amount of water vapor in the air?

Garside, Kenneth: mist radar -No.

Greenspun, Charlie: humidity -That's the answer, and we move on.

In Diary of a Wimpy Kid, who gets the Cheese Touch?

Garside, Liam: Greg Heffley -That's right.

Garside's on the board.

Which U.S.

state is home to the Great Salt Lake?

Garside, Connor: Utah -That's right.

Which vitamin is abundant in citrus fruits?

Garside, Liam: Vitamin C -That's right.

Okay.

We have a calculation question now, students.

James ran 4 miles a day for four days.

His sister ran three times as far.

How many miles did his sister run?

Garside, Bruce: 48 -Do we need units?

Okay.

Then that's the right answer.

We move on.

In science class, Penelope did an experiment where vinegar and baking soda were carefully mixed, inflating a balloon with the reaction.

She was using the controlled environment to see what happens when you mix an acid with what?

Garside, Connor: a base -That's right.

In watchmaking, ebauche refers to the unfinished kit of all the needed parts.

In art, it refers to the preliminary sketch of a work.

The preliminary sketch could also be called by what two-word term that's more commonly used for preliminary writings?

Greenspun, Charlie: rough draft -That's right.

What shape is formed by connecting the midpoints of each side of a quadrilateral?

Garside, Liam: triangle -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] It's the parallelogram.

Let's go.

What type of poem has 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme?

Garside, Bruce: stanza -No.

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

Next question.

In electrical wiring, what device allows multiple circuits to be powered from a single outlet safely and is quite common with so many devices per person?

Garside, Connor: a surge protector -No.

Greenspun, Christopher: an extension cord -You guys are both on the right track, but we were looking for power strip.

No points.

We keep moving on.

In relation to display screens, what's the term for a minute area of illumination, all of which add up to the complete picture?

Greenspun, Christopher: a pixel -That's right.

In 2024, after 13 years of a multisided civil war, which Middle Eastern nation had its capital taken over by a coalition of opposing forces who ended the Assad regime-- -That's Greenspun, Christopher: Syria -Yes.

Africa's male kori bustard is known for its massive wingspan of up to 9 feet, with larger ones weighing up to 44 pounds.

This ties it with the great bustard as the largest avian capable of what?

Garside, Bruce: flight -That's right.

As of 2025, what country contains the greatest percentage of rainforest, having 60% of the world's largest rainforest in its borders?

Greenspun, Christopher: Brazil -That's right.

Okay.

Another calculation question.

A rectangular garden plot measures 12 meters long and 8 meters wide.

A single square flowerbed with sides of 2 meters is placed in one corner.

What's the area of the garden that's not covered by the flower bed?

Greenspun, Christopher: 92 square meters -That's right.

What's the term for the ballet position where a dancer performs on the very tips of their toes?

Greenspun, Sawyer: plie -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] It's en pointe.

Plie is that thing where you kind of do the little bow thing.

Pointe is standing up.

Okay.

What is half the diameter of a circle?

Greenspun, Charlie: radius -Yes.

Name the small country that borders both Spain and France.

Greenspun, Christopher: Andorra -Yes.

The graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang called American Born Chinese explores several themes, such as being happy with yourself, as well as the problem of what concept that can be defined as "the fixed ideas about what an entire group of people are like based on widespread negative beliefs about them"?

Greenspun, Christopher: stereotype -That's right.

Refrigerants can cause what layer of the stratosphere to thin?

And that's Greenspun, Christopher: ozone layer -That's right.

Okay.

We've come to the end of the first round.

Can we have a round of applause for both teams.

Doing a great job.

[applause] But please don't go anywhere.

Before we move on, we're going to take a couple of minutes to get to know these players.

You guys can all take a breath.

You got through one round.

We're going to meet the players from Garside first.

We'll start with 8th grader Kenneth.

Hey, Kenneth.

-Hi.

-Nice to have you here.

This says you play a musical instrument.

What do you play?

-The trumpet.

-How long you been doing that?

-For about two years.

-You having fun?

-Yeah.

-Does Garside have a band?

-They have a band and a jazz.

I switched from band to jazz.

-Okay.

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

Thanks.

Here's 8th grader Bruce.

Hi, Bruce.

-Hello.

-You don't need to lean into the mic.

We got you, man.

And I don't want to embarrass you, but you wrote something here that sounds like a greeting card.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-I love my family.

-Yeah.

Makes me want to tear up.

Do you have any anybody else in your family you want to shout out to?

-I do, actually.

I want to shout-out my cousins and my cousin's girlfriend, because she's always there for me.

Trip, Drake, Holly.

-Okay.

We're out of time.

[laughter] Bruce, thank you.

Good luck, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 8th grader Connor.

Hi, Connor.

-Hello.

-This says you do-- You're involved in a lot of stuff, but are you a pickleballer?

-Yes, I play pickleball.

And there's like, this league I play on Wednesdays, and then I have games on Saturdays.

-How's that going?

-Good.

We've won two games so far.

-Okay.

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

Thanks, Connor.

Here's 7th grader Liam.

Hey, Liam.

-Hey.

-This says you play like, a million musical instruments.

Can you name a bunch of them?

-Piano, flute, guitar, bass.

-How did all that happen?

-I just-- I don't know how to explain it.

I just started feeling like, I felt like I wanted to learn an instrument.

-Do you have one of each of those or just at school?

-I had them-- I have a guitar and a piano.

-Okay.

Well, man, keep making music.

That's what it's all about.

Good luck, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, Garside!

[applause] All right.

Now we're gonna meet our players here from Greenspun.

We have 7th grader Sawyer.

Hey, Sawyer.

-Hi.

-I'm going to admit ignorance here.

It says you're involved with Troop 702.

But I don't know what an SPL is.

-It's the Senior Patrol Leader of the troop.

-Okay.

And do you have special responsibilities?

-Yes.

I'm in charge of organizing and helping everybody with everything that we do.

-Awesome.

Congratulations on that.

Good luck with the scouting, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

-Thank you.

-Thanks, Sawyer.

Here's 8th grader Christopher.

Hey, Christopher.

-Hello.

-This says that you are involved with robotics.

-Yes.

-Does Greenspun have robotics, or is this outside of Greenspun?

-Greenspun has a robotics team, yes.

-So you guys doing all right?

-Yes.

-Do you have a goofy name for your team?

-Yes.

We're called the Lucky Leprechauns.

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

Thanks, Christopher.

Here's 7th grader Charlie.

Hi, Charlie.

-Hey.

-Now, I have no idea what this means.

You wrote, "I have multiple names."

-So my friends create a bunch of nicknames for me.

-Okay, but we can still call you Charlie?

-Yes.

-Are there any of these names we can say on TV?

-Yes.

All of them.

-Okay.

Well, give me a couple of them.

-My real name's David.

I also have Charles.

I have Chavid, which is a mix of both of them.

-My goodness.

-And then CCSD has me put down as Charlies.

-Oh, my goodness.

Well, it's a good thing you know who you are, Charlie.

Good luck with all of those names, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 7th grader Tommy.

Hi, Tommy.

-Hello.

-So you have a whole bunch of sports that you put down here: Pickleball, cross-country, but also football and a particular position that you play.

What do you play on the football team?

-Wide receiver.

-You're pretty good at catching the passes-- -I-- - --or does it depend on the QB?

-I think I'm pretty good.

-All right.

Do you have a team?

Does Greenspun have a team, or is this outside?

-Yes, Greenspun has a team, but my team is outside.

-Okay.

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

Ladies and gentlemen, Greenspun!

[applause] And the Bonus Round coming right up.

So the score after the first round: Garside has 30 points.

Greenspun has 60.

Anything can happen.

Now, we do have some new players, so we want to make sure you meet them.

For Garside, our new players are Matt.

Hello, Matt.

-Hello.

-And Jaeden.

Howdy.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you.

Greenspun's new player, that's Kamryn.

Hi, Kamryn.

-Hi.

-Welcome aboard.

This round is timed at six minutes, and that starts as I read this question: Channel is to water as isthmus is to what?

Greenspun, Christopher: land -That's right.

Bonus questions about analogies now for Greenspun only.

First, itinerary is to journey as agenda is to what?

Second, fratricide is to brother as patricide is to what?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Answer one, meeting.

Answer two, father.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points in addition to the original points from the question.

Here's a tossup for both teams now: In the year 1900, which country controlled the Philippines?

Greenspun, Christopher: the United States -That's right.

Bonus questions now for Greenspun only about countries in the year 1900.

First, in 1900, which country controlled Finland?

Second, in 1900, which country controlled Egypt?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-Answer one, Russia.

Answer two, Great Britain.

-Both are correct.

More bonus points in addition to the original and the tossup now for both teams: Columbia Center, Pacific Northwest Bell, and Rainier Bank Tower are all skyscrapers in what city?

That's Garside, Matt: Vancouver -Incorrect.

[buzzer sound, bell chimes] In time?

Okay.

Greenspun, Christopher: New York City -No.

You were close with Vancouver.

The correct answer is Seattle.

No points.

We move on.

Tossup for both teams: What's the title of America's chief health educator?

Garside, Matt: President -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for Surgeon-General.

No points.

We move on.

Another tossup for both teams: The adjective "aquiline" refers to what specific animal?

Garside, Bruce: gazelle -No.

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

Now a toss-up question for both teams.

And, students, this is a calculation question: Edwin earns $12 an hour.

If he made $108, how many hours did he work?

Greenspun, Christopher: 9 hours -That's right.

Bonus calculation questions now for Greenspun only.

First, simplify the expression: 3(x-4) + 2(3x+1).

Second, a car uses two gallons of gas to travel 50 miles.

How far can it travel on seven gallons?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First answer, 9x-12.

Second, answer 175.

-The second one is correct.

For the first one, we needed 9x-10.

So some bonus points, but not all.

You keep the original points from the question.

And a tossup now for both teams: What U.S.

liquid measure is equal to 3.79 liters?

Garside, Matt: gallon -That's right.

We have some bonus questions about measurements now for Garside only.

First, what's the name given to the larva of any geometrid moth?

Second, of dram, rod, meter, and chain, which does not measure length?

[students deliberate] Captain?

-For the first one, larva; and the second one, chain.

-Both are incorrect.

We need an inchworm, and it's dram that does not measure length.

No bonus points, but you keep the original points from the question.

Now a tossup for both teams: Name one of the four main mineral characteristics that can be metallic or non metallic.

Garside, Kenneth: metal -No.

[bell chimes, times expires] Time?

We were looking for luster.

Tossup for both teams: In the following series, identify a word that combines with each of the others to form another word or expression.

Okay.

So we have bug, rest, frame, and cover.

Garside, Kenneth: bug -Incorrect.

[buzzer sound, bell chimes] In time?

Greenspan, Christopher: cover -No.

Check this out, guys.

We were looking for bed.

Bedbug, bed rest, bed frame, bedcover.

Oh, darn!

We're out of time.

Speed Round coming up.

The score going into Round 3: Garside 35 points.

Greenspun 100.

That sounds like a tough difference, but anything can happen.

Hey, by the way, we do have a couple of returning players.

For Garside, we welcome back Connor and Liam.

Welcome back.

Now, for Greenspun, we have one new player, Zachary.

Hello.

-Hello.

-And returning player, Charlie.

-Hey.

-Welcome back.

Let's go.

Which planet in our solar system has the least mass?

Garside, Connor: Mercury -Yes.

What's the term for a regional variety of a language with distinct vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation?

Garside, Connor: dialect -Yes.

What kind of subject is illustrated in this sentence: Marina and Marty fed the farm animals.

Garside, Matt: fed -No.

Greenspun, Christopher: animals -No.

It is called compound subject.

No points.

Next question is a calculation.

Remember, we don't repeat in this third round, so listen up.

Solve for p: 837 - p = 291 That's Greenspun, Christopher: p = 546 -That's correct.

We move on.

Which type of telescope uses a concave mirror to gather and focus light, allowing astronomers to avoid chromatic aberrations and build larger apertures than typical refracting telescopes?

Garside, Liam: refraction telescope -Incorrect.

Greenspun, Christopher: reflecting telescope -Reflecting is correct, yes.

What is the city where a country's government is located called?

Greenspun, Charlie: capital -Yes.

In Madeiline L'Engel's Time Quintet, Meg Murray meets which character that will be her husband in the third book, A Swiftly Tilting Planet?

[bell chimes, times expires] Not Wrinkle in Time people?

Calvin is the character.

Next question: What's the title of Hirohito and the leaders of Japan before him and before World War II?

Garside, Matt: Emperor -That's right.

Which desert in North Africa is the world's largest hot-- That's Greenspun, Zachary: Sahara -Yes.

Which American architect is known for organic architecture, including the house called Fallingwater?

[bell chimes, time expires] Look up Frank Lloyd Wright.

Next question.

Which literary form is a humorous five-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme?

Garside, Liam: quintet -No.

Greenspun, Charlie: haiku -No.

We were looking for limerick.

No points.

Next question.

In fall of 2025, NASA announced the discovery of 6,000 new planets outside our solar system.

What term is used for these?

Garside, Jaeden: exoplanet -That's right.

In the 2010s, LoL overtook WoW as the most played video game in the world.

Lol is short for which-- That's Greenspun, Kamryn: League of Legends -That's right.

Which musical term indicates that a note should be played louder?

Garside, Liam: [no answer] We were looking for forte.

Which device, used to measure atmospheric pressure, used a column of mercury but now uses digital sensors because-- Garside, Matt: thermometer -Incorrect.

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

Next question.

What rigid body, covering-- What rigid body covering makes arthropods rely on molting to continue growing?

Greenspun, Charlie: exoskeleton -Yes.

In ice hockey, what's the term when a player scores three goals in a game?

Greenspun, Zachary: hat trick -Yes.

In the poem I know-- or the book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou resides in the small town of Stamps in the southwest corner of which state near Texarkana?

Garside, Liam: Texas -Nope.

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

Next question.

The patellar one connects the kneecap to the tibia.

The biceps brachii one connects the biceps to the shoulder and forearm muscles.

What type of tissues are these that allow-- Greenspun, Charlie: tendons -Yes.

Animals that are herbivores eat only what?

Greenspun, Christopher: plants -Yep.

What genre of book is about true events?

Garside, Matt: nonfiction -Yes.

That was close.

Which type of sculptural technique leaves the raised image attached to a flat background, as in the Parthenon friezes?

[bell chimes, time expires] In the world of art, that's called a relief.

Next question.

What term was first used for a central road of exhibits and entertainment at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair?

[bell chimes, time expires] It's a common term now.

The midway.

Next question.

Where would you hear the words "for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health"?

Greenspun, Charlie: at a wedding -That's right.

The practices that prevent disease, especially cleanliness, are generally known by what "H" word?

Garside, Matt: hygiene -That's right.

What largest lake in Africa was named after an English queen?

And that's Garside, Jaeden: Lake Victoria -Yes.

Hans Christian Andersen was a writer from what country?

Garside, Matt: Germany -No.

[buzzer sound, bell chimes] In time?

That's Greenspun, Christopher: France -No.

He's from Denmark.

Let's find out who won.

And the final: Garside 70.

Greenspun 150.

Can we have a round of applause for both teams, because this was a great match.

[cheers and applause] But we do want to say congratulations to the 2025-2026 Junior Varsity Quiz Virtual League Champions, Greenspun!

[cheers and applause] However, we have plaques to give away.

And first, we're going to give out our second place plaque to the Virtual League.

And these are our friends from Garside.

And, Captain, you take that plaque.

Hold it up for everybody to see.

We're going to give you guys another round of applause, because you're awesome!

[applause] You got nothing to hang your heads on, and if you're not in 8th grade, we want to see you back here next year, okay?

And now our championship plaque for the Virtual League in 2025-2026.

Here's the captain of Greenspun!

Kamryn, hold that plaque up.

Everybody, a round of applause.

[cheers and applause] All right.

You know what?

We are still not done with Junior Varsity Quiz.

Next week we continue on our journey to the Junior Varsity Quiz Silver League Championship.

It'll be Miller Middle School taking on Hyde Park.

This is the first of our two JVQ semifinals in the Silver League.

See you next Monday at 7:30 for more Junior Varsity Quiz on Vegas PBS!