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

-Coming up, it's the Las Vegas Academy... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Coronado!

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] -Hi.

Welcome to the 56th season of Varsity Quiz.

The best and the brightest high school students are matching wits in this unique academic competition.

I'm honored to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

So the road to the Silver League title continues now with the Las Vegas Academy facing Coronado.

We started with 18 schools in the Silver League in three divisions.

Las Vegas Academy had a record of 3 and 2 in their division.

Let's meet their starters.

We have Madi.

Hi, Madi.

There's Michelle.

And there's Evangeline.

And the coach for LVA, Erika Moosbrugger.

Let's hear it for the Las Vegas Academy!

[cheers and applause] For Coronado, they finished undefeated in their division.

Their starters are Raine.

Hey, Raine.

Ezra, howdy.

Maryiam, good to see you.

And Samay.

And the coach for Coronado, Matt Aberman.

Ladies and gentlemen, Coronado.

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

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

Students, you ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

The loss of the Liberal Democratic Party's parliamentary majority happened during the term of what current prime minister of Japan?

That's Coronado, Raine: Shinzo Abe -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Shigeru Ishiba.

No points.

We move on.

Name this quantity used to measure atomic size.

It's equal to half of an atom's diameter.

Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: a mole -Incorrect.

Coronado, Maryiam: radius -Can we take that?

[confers with judges] No.

We needed atomic radius.

No points.

We move on again.

In 2024, this politician easily defeated Glenn Elliott in every single county in his state's senatorial election.

What governor of West Virginia will succeed Joe Manchin as a United States Senator?

Coronado, Raine: Jim Jordan -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] Jim Justice.

No points.

Next question.

This poet wrote an elegy for his mother, Naomi, in "Kaddish."

What Beat Generation poet declared, "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness" in the poem "Howl"?

Coronado, Samay: Ernest Hemingway -Incorrect.

Las Vegas Academy, Michelle: Robert [indistinct] -No.

It's Allen Ginsberg.

Next question.

Name this Netflix show in which contestants make the title dessert appear to be an everyday object.

Coronado, Maryiam: Is it Cake?

-Are you asking me?

Oh, no, that's the name of the show.

That's correct.

Next question.

It's a calculation question, students.

How many hours would it take to completely fill a 90-gallon pool with a leak draining 4 gallons per hour and a hose pumping in 16 gallons per hour?

Let me repeat.

How many hours would it take-- Oh, we'll go with Coronado, Samay: 8 hours -I don't think we can take that.

Let me finish repeating.

How many hours would it take to completely fill a 90-gallon pool with a leak draining 4 gallons per hour and a hose pumping in 16 gallons per hour?

[bell chimes, time expires] It was 7 1/2 hours.

So you were on the right track, but we needed 7.5.

Okay, no points.

Next question.

What artist who painted The Hay Wain shares his surname with a British term for a police officer?

Coronado, Samay: bobby -Incorrect.

Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: copper No.

John Constables is who we were looking for.

Next question.

What molecule, whose formula is C6H1206, is the-- And that's Coronado, Maryiam: glucose Correct.

On a Paramount+ show, this actress played a social media influencer who dates Freddie.

Name this actress who also played the title character on iCarly.

Coronado, Maryiam: Jennette McCurdy -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] iCarly may be too old for you guys.

Miranda Cosgrove.

Next question.

Which basketball player led Michigan State to win the NCAA Championship in 1979, got the most assists in his pro career in the Los Angeles Lakers' history before abruptly ending his career?

Coronado, Samay: Michael Jordan -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] No basketball?

Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

Next question.

Which Frenchman, who became a key figure in the American Revolution, ordered in his will that he be buried in France using dirt he got from Bunker Hill during a trip to the U.S.?

Coronado, Maryiam: the Marquis de Lafayette -That is correct, yes.

Points for you.

Next question.

The first ever vaccine, which cured this disease, was made by Edward Jenner and injected cowpox into patients.

So what disease, characterized by thick bumps on the skin-- Coronado, Maryiam: smallpox -Correct.

A Cecil Rhodes-founded company mined what precious gemstones-- Coronado, Ezra: diamond -Correct.

One painting about this event shows the title woman in a yellow dress waving a tricolor flag-- That's Coronado, Samay: Liberty Leading the People -That is incorrect.

Let me finish the question for Las Vegas Academy.

Name this event that inspired The Death of Marat and Liberty Leading the People.

Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: the French Revolution -Correct.

Okay, let's move on.

What author's The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon includes a story about a man who falls asleep for 20 years and "The Legend of-- Coronado, Maryiam: Washington Irving -Correct.

Next question.

What quantity, named for an American scientist, is negative for spontaneous reactions?

Coronado, Maryiam: joules -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for Gibbs free energy.

Next question.

This Swiss psychologist's work inspired Katherine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers to do their work on personality.

What Swiss author wrote Psychological Types?

Coronado, Maryiam: Carl Jung -Correct.

A 5-foot-long wooden codfish called the "Sacred Cod" hangs above which state's House of Representatives?

Coronado, Raine: Massachusetts -Correct.

Next question.

Name this American author of the Dust Bowl-era novel The Grapes of Wrath-- That's Coronado, Maryiam: John Steinbeck -Correct.

What rare earth element with the symbol W is-- Coronado, Maryiam: tungsten -Yes.

The Japanese imperial regalia consists of a mirror, a gemstone, and one of these things symbolizing valor.

What object is used to inflict a fatal wound and includes a type called a katana?

Coronado, Samay: a sword -Correct.

HDL and LDL are transporters of this molecule.

What steroid lipid has good and bad-- Coronado, Maryiam: cholesterol -That's correct.

Okay.

So in kinematics, delta x is used to denote what vector quantity, the difference between initial and final position?

Coronado, Maryiam: distance -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Looking for displacement.

Next question is a calculation question, students.

Scarlet has four sweets in the afternoon of Day 1.

If every night she eats half her sweets and she buys four new sweets each morning, how many sweets will she have in the afternoon of Day 5?

Repeating.

Scarlet has four sweets in the afternoon of Day 1.

If every night she eats half her sweets and she buys four new sweets each morning-- Coronado, Maryiam: 6 sweets -Incorrect.

--how many sweets will she have in the afternoon of Day 5?

Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: 7 1/2 -I don't think we can take that.

We were looking for 7 3/4.

Next question.

What book of the Bible details the account of a faithful man who endures immense suffering?

Coronado, Maryiam: Job -Correct.

Okay, that's the end of Round 1.

Don't go anywhere, because we're going to take an opportunity to get to know a little bit more about our players.

We'll start with the Las Vegas Academy.

We have 10th grader, Madi.

Hi, Madi.

-Hello.

-This says here that you are writing a novel.

What is your novel about?

-My novel is Dystopian Novel based on a girl who works in a mortuary.

-Well, it sounds like fun.

How far in it are you?

-I'm on the first and the second chapter right now.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with that.

-Thank you.

-Good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Madi.

-Thank you.

-Here's 10th grader Michelle.

-Hi.

-It says here you are from a different country and that you speak two languages.

What country are you from, and what are your languages?

-I'm from Ghana, and I speak English and Twi, which is the native-- -Is that the native language there?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Well, good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Michelle.

Good to have you.

-Thank you.

-Here's 12th grader Evangeline.

Hi, Evangeline.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

This says that you have been-- or you have binge watched a certain TV show in a certain period of time.

Remember what that was?

-Yep.

I've binge watched over the past year House M.D.

-And how quickly did you do it?

-I think it was two months, maybe three.

-Well, this says four, but whatever.

-My bad.

-That's a lot of TV.

Do you like the show?

-You could say.

-I guess so.

Well, good luck with your binge watching.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Those are our players from the Las Vegas Academy.

[cheers and applause] All right, let's meet our students from Coronado.

We start with 11th grader Raine.

Hi, Raine.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

Now this says that you watch old political debates.

-Yeah.

It popped up in my YouTube feed, and I was intrigued.

-You've been hooked, huh?

-Yeah.

-Do you have a favorite so far?

-In 1988 when Lloyd Bentsen told Dan Quayle that he's "no Jack Kennedy."

-Yeah.

-Also, I wanted to say I binge watched House M.D.

in two weeks.

-Okay.

But it's not a competition.

Well, good luck with your watching of old political debates and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks Raine.

Here's junior Ezra.

Hi, Ezra.

-Hi.

-Good to see you.

This says that you like baseball.

-I did play baseball for a couple years.

-Okay, but now it's just you're on the sidelines, just watching?

-Yeah, ridin' bench.

-Do you have a favorite team?

-Diamondbacks all the way.

-Okay.

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

Thanks, Ezra.

Good to have you.

Let's see.

Here's Maryiam.

Hi, Maryiam.

-Hi.

-Good to see you in 11th grade.

So some folks may be familiar with this thing called the Science Bowl, but some students or some viewers may not.

What is the Science Bowl?

-It is a science trivia competition sponsored by the Department of Energy.

And if you think Varsity Quiz is hard, just imagine what Science Bowl is like.

We're going to our regional tournament tomorrow.

And, yeah, I happen to be the captain of it.

Our coach of Varsity Quiz is also the coach of Science Bowl.

So it's like two-in-one thing.

-It's an amazing competition.

Good luck, and good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Maryiam.

Here's Samay, a sophomore.

Hi, Samay.

-Hi, Nate.

-Good to see you.

This says that you participate in kung fu?

-Yeah.

So I used to do it a while back, but I took a break due to some personal reasons, but I've started back up, and it's really interesting now.

-It's a physical challenge, isn't it?

-Yeah, but even though it's still like hard physically, it's still really enjoyable.

-For sure.

Well, good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Those are our students from Coronado.

[applause] Bonus Round coming up.

[crashing sound] Going into Round 2, let's check the score.

Las Vegas Academy has 5 points.

Coronado has 60.

No new players for either team, so we jump into this bonus round.

This round is timed at 6 minutes, and time starts as I read this question: This element has the highest electron affinity of all elements on the periodic table.

What halogen bonds with sodium-- Coronado, Maryiam: chlorine -Correct.

Bonus questions for Coronado only about science.

First, these particles are held together, by the strong force to form nucleons.

They have flavors such as strange and charm.

Second, this simplistic aromatic hydrocarbon has the formula C6H6.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -First answer, quarks; second answer, hexene.

-Quarks is correct.

We were actually looking for benzene on the second one.

You get some bonus points, not all.

And this question for both teams: In a work by this writer, Jim Conklin meets a tragic fate during the Civil War.

Name this American author of "The Open Boat" and "The Red Badge of Courage."

Coronado, Maryiam: Stephen Crane -Correct.

Bonus questions now for Coronado only about literature.

First, Grover's Corner is the setting of this Thornton Wilder play in which George and Emily declare their love for each other over ice cream and sodas-- or over ice cream sodas.

Second, Hilda Doolittle, or H.D.

cofounded the Imagist movement with this poet of The Cantos, who described "petals on a wet, black bough" in his poem "In a Station of the Metro."

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -First answer, Our Town; second answer Bizet.

- Our Town is correct.

The second one is Ezra Pound.

So again, some bonus points, but not all.

And this question for both teams: This thinker responded to the problem of evil with, "We live in the best of all possible worlds."

Name this independent creator of calculus, alongside Isaac-- Coronado, Maryiam: Leibner -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.

You were on the right track.

No points.

We move on to this question: It's a calculation question, students.

There exists a triangle ADE such that point B is on AD and point C is on AE.

So if AB is 6 inches and BD is 4 inches, BC is 6 inches, and triangles ABC and ADE are similar, how long is DE in inches?

Coronado, Maryiam: 10 inches -Incorrect.

Let me repeat the question.

There's a triangle ADE, such that point B is on AD, point C is on AE.

If AB is 6 inches, BD is 4 inches, BC is 6 inches, and triangles ABC and ADE are similar, how long is DE in inches?

Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: 10 inches.

-No.

That was the answer she gave.

We were looking for 9 inches.

No points, and we move on to this question for both teams: The book Wealth of Nations is essentially about economic development and the policies that can either promote or hinder it.

Name the author.

Coronado, Maryiam: Adam Smith -That is correct.

Now bonus questions for Coronado only about economics.

First, a type of this tax structure increases the tax rate as income increases.

It's often contrasted with regressive tax systems.

Second, if countries want to limit trade, they can impose this tax on imports.

These taxes may stimulate domestic production but also result in higher prices for consumers.

You got 10 seconds.

First answer, progressive; second answer, tariff.

Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams: Echidna and platypuses are the only mammals to produce these objects-- And that's Las Vegas Academy, Evangeline: eggs -That is correct.

Bonus questions for Las Vegas Academy only about science.

First, violent tornadoes frequently come from this type of organized, rotating storm.

Second, time gaps between the formation of adjacent layers in the Grand Canyon are referred to by this term, of which a "great" one exists near the bottom of the canyon.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-First answer, El Nino.

No second answer.

-Okay.

The first one is supercells, and the second was unconformity.

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

And this question for both teams: This President lost one election due to the "Corrupt Bargain" between John Quincy Adams and Henry-- And that's Coronado, Raine: Andrew Jackson -Correct.

Bonus questions for Coronado only about history.

First, this man led the Chiricahua Apache from 1850 to 1886 in raids against Americans, but died in captivity at Fort Steele-- make that Fort Sill.

And second, the Bosnian War was a part of a series of conflicts caused by the breakup of this former country in the 1990s.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -First answer, Geronimo; second answer, Yugoslavia.

-Both are correct.

You've got bonus points, and that's the end of the round.

Our Speed Round, coming up.

Going into Round 3 now.

The score: Las Vegas Academy, 10 points; Coronado 110 points.

No substitutions for LVA, but we have four new players for Coronado.

We say hi to Isabella.

Hi, Isabella.

-Hi.

-And Kyle, hello; Owen, hello; and Dexter.

Let's go.

What author of The Souls of Black Folk opposed the Atlanta Compromise of Booker T. Washington?

[bell chimes, time expires] W.E.B.

DuBois.

No points.

Next question.

Photos of the Gare Saint-Lazare were taken in what home country of Henri Cartier-Bresson?

-LVA, Evangeline: France -Correct.

What event occurred three days after the Crucifixion and is celebrated on Easter?

Coronado, Owen: The Resurrection -Yes.

Are we good with that?

[confers with judges] Yeah.

Next question.

Inaction during the Kitty Genovese murder was blamed on what effect in which a large number of witnesses do nothing?

Coronado, Dexter: the bystander effect -That is correct.

Next question.

Name this country where pho can be cooked-- and that's the LVA, Evangeline: Vietnam -Correct.

Name this Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring in which children playfully douse each other with colored powders and water.

[bell chimes, time expires] It's either Holi or Holi.

I'm not sure which one, but no points.

We move on.

Calculation question.

Students, we don't repeat here in the third round, so listen up.

What negative number must be added to the dataset 1, 1, 2, 3 to make the new overall mean and the new mode equal?

And that's the LVA, Evangeline: negative 2 -Correct.

Next question.

This power tool grinds away material using a rapidly-rotating-- And that's Coronado, Owen: Dremel -No.

--a rotating abrasive-coated cloth.

LVA, Madi: sander -I don't know if we can take that.

[confers with judges] Okay, very good.

That's correct.

Next question.

What Scottish empiricist philosopher's "guillotine" is the idea that statements on what ought to be cannot be made from statements on what is?

Coronado, Owen: Robespierre -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] David Hume.

Next question.

What author is known for novels like 1Q84, Norwegian Wood, and Kafka on the Shore?

Coronado, Dexter: Franz Kafka -No.

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

Next question.

In one type of this system, the acceleration is equal to the restoring force divided by mass.

Name these systems exemplified by an object attached to a spring.

[bell chimes, time expires] Looking for simple harmonic oscillators.

Next question.

This author stated that, "We must love one another or die."

This was in a poem written at the onset of World War II.

He was also a poet who wrote "Funeral Blues" and "September 1, 1939."

[bell chimes, time expires] The poet W.H.

Auden.

Next question.

These cells communicate with each other through the use of "action potentials" and neurotransmitters.

Name-- That's Coronado, Dexter: neuron -Correct.

Name this AFC East team with quarterback Josh Allen-- LVA, Evangeline: the Bills -Yep.

Good luck to the Bills next year.

Next question.

Name this British singer who's known for songs like "Candle in the Wind" and "Rocket Man."

Coronado, Isabella: [no response] -No answer?

Was that after?

Okay, LVA, Evangeline: Elton John -That's correct.

Next question.

The Green River flows through this national park.

It's home to the Rotunda Room.

The world's longest cave system is located in what Kentucky National Park?

Coronado, Owen: Yellowstone -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] We were looking for Mammoth Cave National Park.

No points, and next question.

What Arabic term is given to foods and other actions-- That's Coronado, Dexter: halal -Correct.

Protests in Tahrir Square toppled Egypt's government as part of what movement that began in 20-- Coronado, Dexter: Arab Spring -Yes.

In October of 2024, 12 human skeletons and a chamber for grave offerings were found in the Treasury of what ancient Nabataean city in Jordan?

LVA, Madi: Petra -Correct.

In which psychologist's experiment did participants conform when answering a question about the length of lines?

Coronado, Isabella: Kieu -Incorrect.

LVA, Evangeline: Freud -No.

It was Solomon Asch.

Next question.

The execution of Marcellus Williams was upheld by what Midwest state's governor, Mike Parson, who leads from Jefferson City?

And that's LVA, Evangeline: Missouri -Correct.

Give the term for the sudden expansion of a star that happens as it-- Coronado, Dexter: Supernova -Yes.

What 1973 war began with an Egyptian and Syrian surprise attack during the holiest day-- That's Coronado, Kyle: Yom Kippur War -Yes.

During the Reign of Terror, this queen was guillotined alongside her husband Louis XVI-- That's LVA, Michelle: Marie Antoinette -That is correct.

We've run out of time.

Let's catch our final score.

Final score: Las Vegas Academy, 55 points, to Coronado's 140.

Can we have a round of applause for both teams?

[cheers and applause] And congratulations to Coronado for the win.

We want you to tune in next week, because we got another quarterfinal.

Advanced Technologies Academy, A-Tech, will be taking on West Career Technical Academy.

It's going to be another exciting match on Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.

♪♪♪