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

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

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

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

Welcome to the 56th season of Varsity Quiz, continuing now with Junior Varsity Quiz.

It's an honor to be your host.

I'm Nathan Tannenbaum.

So you know, back in February, we had eight middle and junior high school teams competing in a Virtual JVQ League.

Back in March, 30 different middle and junior high school teams competed in a couple of different leagues.

We had a Blue League, a Silver League, had a one-day tournament over at Chaparral High School.

It was fun.

So to get where we are today, Miller Middle School defeated Cadwallader.

On our other team here, Rogich Middle School, well, they defeated Thurman White Academy.

Let's meet today's starters.

Starting with Miller, we have Ayan.

Hey, Ayan.

Good to see you.

-Hi.

-Yiming.

-Hi.

-Oliver.

-Hello.

-And Ryan.

-Hello.

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

The Miller Middle School!

[cheers and applause] -And the starters for Rogich, we have Andrei.

Hey, Andrei.

Good to see you.

-Hello.

-Madison.

-Hi.

-Adhith.

-Hi.

-And Anthony.

-Hey.

-And the coaches for Rogich, Rei Vital and Keegan Tetrault.

It's Rogich Middle School!

[cheers and applause] Ready?

Let's play Junior Varsity Quiz.

Name this vital structural protein that makes up the connective tissue in the human body.

Rogich, Anthony: muscle -Incorrect.

Miller, Ayan: collagen -That is correct.

Points on the board for Miller.

We move on.

In the following sentence, which part of speech is the word "however"?

Here's the sentence: She wanted to go to the party; however, she had too much-- And we'll go with Miller, Ayan: conjunction -I don't know if we can take that.

That's incorrect.

--she wanted to go to the party; however, she had too much homework.

That's Rogich, Adhith: subordinating conjunction -No.

It's a conjunctive adverb.

So we needed that whole answer.

No points.

We move on.

When it launched in 1976, which tech company had a logo-- And that's Miller, Oliver: Apple -That's correct.

Next question.

This state is led by Governor Mike DeWine, nicknamed the Buckeye State.

Rogich, Andrei: Ohio -Correct.

You got points on the board.

We keep going.

What British author of A Brief History of Time was paralyzed and talked with a robotic voice-- We'll go with Rogich, Andrei: Stephen Hawking -That's correct.

We keep going.

Calculation question now, students.

Answer the following about a circle with radius 6.

If A and B are points on that circle such that segment AB also has a measure of 6 and O is at the center of the circle, what is the measure of angle AOB in degrees?

Let me repeat.

It's about a circle, radius 6.

If A and B are points on the circle such that segment AB also has a measure of 6, O is the center of the circle, what's the measure of angle AOB in degrees?

That's Miller, Ayan: 90 degrees -Incorrect.

Rogich, Andrei: 72 degrees -Incorrect.

We were looking for 60 degrees.

No points.

We move on.

Which word is derived from the name of a mythic Greek king whose afterlife punishment was to be forever near food and drink that he can't reach?

Miller, Ayan: Sisyphus -Incorrect.

Rogich, Andrei: Glutton -No.

We were looking for tantalize.

No points.

Next question.

On an island in this bay, American Evangelical John Allen Chau was killed during an attempt to make contact with the North Sentinelese.

Rogich, Andrei: Bay of Bengal -Yes.

Next question.

The title of which popular TV show is based on a medical reference book that was first published in 18-- Rogich, Madison: Grey's Anatomy -That's right.

Next question.

In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to call what ongoing conflict at the time "The Survival"?

That's Miller, Ayan: World War II -Yes.

For gravitational fields, mass times g times height equals what kind of stored-- That's Miller, Ayan: gravitational potential energy -Can we take that?

[consults with judges] Yes.

Okay.

Name this technology with quicker speeds than its predecessor LTE, whose name is an abbreviation of-- That's Rogich, Andrei: 5G -Yes.

When raw, they contain urushiol, the same substance that makes poison ivy irritate your skin.

Name this crescent-shaped nut.

That's Miller, Yiming: cashews -That's right.

Next question.

The Sea of Galilee appears on the money of what country?

Miller, Oliver: Israel -That's right.

What two-word term describes a delay caused by an official procedure?

It originates from the colored material once used to bind legal documents in England.

Rogich, Andrei: yellow folder -No.

Miller, Oliver: red wax -No.

We were looking for red tape.

Okay.

Next question.

Before he made it to Major League Baseball, Ronald Acuna, Jr., played for a team located in La Guaira that's a suburb of what country's city, Caracas?

Miller, Oliver: Venezuela -That's right.

Let's see.

In a work about the history of this time period, the state is defined as a work of art by Swiss historian Jacob Burckhardt.

Humanists came to prominence during this period-- That's Miller, Yiming: the Renaissance -Yes.

Okay.

Calculation question now, students.

Answer the following about a circle with a radius of 2 units: If the circle is the base of a cylinder of height 3.26 units, what's the volume of the cylinder in terms of pi?

Let me repeat.

Okay.

Rogich, Andrei: 6.52 pi -Incorrect.

Should I go ahead and repeat?

Okay.

Answer the following about a circle with a radius of 2 units.

If the circle is the base of a cylinder of height 3.26 units, what is the volume of the cylinder in terms of pi?

Miller, Ayan: 13.04 times pi -Yes, that is correct.

Next question.

What frequently stolen car parts are mounted to the exhaust to avoid putting out toxic fumes?

Miller, Ayan: spare tire -No.

Rogich, Madison: muffler -You're close.

They were actually called catalytic converters, so that's what we were looking for.

No points.

Next question.

This novel's namesake is killed by George Wilson after loaning his car to a woman who runs over Wilson's wife-- That's Miller, Yiming: The Great Gatsby -That's right.

Name this silent president who succeeded-- Miller, Oliver: Calvin Coolidge -That's right.

Which Cherokee leader believed that written language gave white settlers a considerable advantage and started creating written language for the Cherokee?

That's Miller, Yiming: Sequoyah -That's right.

What British writer is known for creating Aslan and the other inhabitants of Narnia?

Miller, Yiming: C.S.

Lewis -Yes.

What country's national airline, TAP, grounded a plane infested-- Miller, Oliver: Portugal -Yes.

In the painting The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci depicts Peter holding a knife near this figure, who appears shocked by an announcement from Jesus.

Rogich, Madison: Judas -Yes.

That's the end of the first round.

How about a round of applause for both of these teams?

But don't go anywhere.

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

We'll start over here with Miller Middle School.

We have 8th grader Ayan.

Hey, Ayan.

Good to see you.

-Hi.

-So you wrote that you create something called Scratch games.

I don't know what those are.

-They're games on a platform called Scratch where you can code stuff using blocks.

-Okay.

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

Thanks, Ayan.

Here's 7th grader Yiming.

Hey, Yiming.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

You wrote that you have been to China a lot.

How many times have you been there?

-Seven.

-Wow!

Now is your family from there?

-Yes.

-But were you born here or there?

-Here.

I was born here.

-Do you enjoy visiting China?

-Yes.

-Keep it up, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Yiming.

Here's 8th grader Oliver.

Hey, Oliver.

-Hello.

-Good to see you.

Now, we'll get to the part where you said you're great at playing a specific game, but you also wrote that you're still a fan of a particular vegetable.

-Lettuce.

-Lettuce.

-I didn't write that.

My coach did.

-Yeah, but you-- Oh, is your coach making stuff up now?

-No.

I actually ate a bag of it the other day.

-Okay.

You ate a whole bag?

Wonderful.

And then quickly, what is this game that you're great at playing?

-It's called World of Warships.

It's where you get to play as historical warships and fight against other players.

-Right on.

Good luck with that and with the lettuce, and good luck here at Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Oliver.

8th grader Ryan.

Hey, Ryan.

-Hi.

-Good to see you again.

You wrote that you made first chair on an instrument in the All-State Band.

-Yes.

I made first chair trombone for the state of Nevada.

-Congratulations!

Have you guys had your concert yet?

-Yes.

This was-- -How'd it go?

-It was pretty good.

-Awesome.

Congrats, and good luck on Varsity Quiz.

Those are the players from Miller Middle School!

[applause] Now we'll meet our starters from Rogich.

We start with 8th grader Andrei.

Hey, Andrei.

Good to see you.

-Hello.

-I don't know if we've talked about this.

If we have, I apologize, but there's a sport or a club that you participate in over there.

-Is it bowling?

-Yeah.

What's your best score in a bowling game?

-I actually improved.

So it's, right now, it's 189.

-Right on.

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

Thanks, Andrei.

Here's 8th grader Madison.

Hi, Madison.

-Hi.

-What sport do you play?

-Softball.

-How long you been doing that?

-Eight years.

-Is it like club ball or something like that?

-Right now I'm in rec season, but this summer I'll be on my league's all-star team.

-Well, congrats.

Good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Thanks, Madison.

Here's 8th grader Adhith.

Hey, Adhith.

-Hello.

-You wrote you do a particular kind of magic.

What kind of magic do you do?

-Yeah, I do like card magic tricks sometimes.

-Like a deck of cards, where you pick a card, that kind of thing?

-Yeah.

I like to show it in front of my family sometimes.

-Okay.

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

Here's 8th grader Anthony.

Hi, Anthony.

-Hi.

-You wrote that you like horror movies.

-Yeah.

-Do you have a favorite out of all of them, or does it matter?

- Scream.

-Oh, Scream?

-Yeah.

-Isn't there 3 or 4 or 12 of those?

-I think like eight.

-Okay.

Well, keep enjoying the horror movies.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, Rogich Middle School.

And our bonus round coming right up.

The score going into Round 2: Miller Middle School with 65 points to Rogich's 30.

We have one new player on each team.

For Miller, we say hello to Tejasvi.

Hi, Tejasvi.

Nice to see you.

Welcome.

Rogich has a new player.

It's Wyatt.

Hey, Wyatt.

Welcome aboard.

Here we go.

What American scientist, who classified lenticular, elliptical, and spiral galaxies in a tuning-fork diagram, names a constant-- Rogich, Andrei: Kepler -Incorrect.

And that's an interruption.

--a constant that describes the rate of expansion of the universe?

Miller, Yiming: Hubble -That is correct.

Now we have bonus science questions for Miller only.

First, in the absence of predators, the prey population displays this manner of growth.

Bacteria can grow in this manner, which has no upper limit, unlike logistic growth.

Second question, the equation A squared plus B squared equals C squared can be used to represent one of these conic sections.

These shapes have two foci and contain semi-major and semi-minor axes.

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Our answers are exponential growth and right triangle.

-Exponential growth is correct.

The other one is ellipses.

So you get some bonus points, but not all.

And now this toss-up question for both teams: What game show hosted by Ken Jennings-- Rogich, Andrei: Jeopardy -That's right.

Bonus questions for Rogich only about pop culture.

First, this company is popular for its inclusive foundation shade range.

Its name is the same as the surname of its founder, Rihanna.

Second question, this NFL team, that shares SoFi Stadium with the Chargers, won Super Bowl LVI in 2022 against the Bengals thanks to players like Cooper Kupp and Matt Stafford.

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Our first answer is Fenty Beauty.

Our second answer is the Los Angeles Rams.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this tossup for both teams: What country was the site of Operation Blue Star-- That's Rogich, Andrei: Kuwait -Incorrect, and that is an interruption.

I'll complete the question.

What country was the site of Operation Blue Star, which was implemented to curb Sikh militants at a holy Golden Temple in the state of Punjab-- Miller, Ayan: India -Correct.

Bonus history questions now for Miller only.

First, before the development of the sugar industry in Jamaica, the colony derived the majority of its income from this activity, mostly perpetuated by English and Dutch sailors towards Spanish cargo ships and settlements.

Second, this grandson of Genghis Khan became the first non-Han emperor to rule all of China after he established the Yuan dynasty.

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -Our answers are trade and Kublai Khan.

Kublai Khan is correct.

The first one is piracy.

Some bonus points, not all.

Tossup for both teams.

Here we go.

What author, who was the daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, wrote about a scientist named Victor-- And that's Miller, Tejasvi: Mary Shelley -Yes.

Bonus questions about literature now for Miller only.

First, in the musical adaptation of which Roald Dahl book does the title character sing, "Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty"?

Second, an editor told Shel Silverstein what book was too simple for adults and too sad for kids?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain.

-Our answers are Matilda and The Giving Tree.

-Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

All right.

Toss-up question for both teams.

It's a calculation question, students.

Six students are giving speeches.

If Avalon's speech has to come before Biyang's speech and Carlos' speech has to come before Dave's, how many different ways are there to order the six speeches?

Let me repeat.

You got six students giving speeches.

Avalon's-- We'll go with Miller, Ayan: 360 ways -That is incorrect.

Let me finish repeating.

Six students giving speeches.

Avalon's has to come before Biyang's, Carlos' has to come before Dave's.

How many different ways are there to order the six speeches?

Rogich, Andrei: Two -Incorrect.

It's 180.

No points.

No bonus questions.

We move on to this tossup for both teams: Name this primary special operations force of the United States Navy which indicates their ability to fight on sea, land, and in the air.

Rogich, Adhith: Navy -We need more.

-Blue Navy.

-Incorrect.

Miller Oliver: SEAL Team 6 Six -I don't know if we can take that.

[consults with judges] No.

We needed just plain Navy SEALs.

Okay, no points.

No bonus questions.

We move on to this tossup for both teams: In mythology, the giants Otus and Ephialtes stacked what structures on top of each other to reach the home of the gods?

Name these geographical features, one of which held Olympus at its peak.

Rogich, Madison: mountains -That's right.

Bonus mythology questions now for Rogich only.

First, in some versions of the King Midas myth, he could reverse his golden touch by washing in one of these natural features.

Second, in the Greek myth, Paris was given a golden one of these objects by Zeus and told to choose which of three goddesses as the fairest.

You have 10 seconds.

-Our first answer is spring.

Our second answer is apple.

-I'm not sure if we can take either one of those.

[consults with judges] Okay, we can take apples.

The first one, I think they wanted the word "rivers" as opposed to "streams."

So no-- have some bonus points, but not all.

And we've come to the end of the second round.

Speed round, coming right up.

Score going into Round 3: Miller Middle School, 100 points; Rogich, 45.

Anything can happen in the speed round.

All right.

Here we go.

What property, symbolized with the letter S as in Sam, measures a system's disorder?

Miller, Ayan: entropy -Correct.

Kaholo, Ka'o, and 'ami, these are three of the eight basic movements involved in which dance?

Miller, Ayan: Hawaiian -I don't think we can take that.

Rogich, Andrei: hula -Yeah, we were looking for the hula dance.

Let's keep going.

Home to the Crab Nebula, what's the constellation whose name is Latin for "bull"?

Miller, Oliver: Taurus -Yes.

Claudius conquered much of what island for Rome-- That's Miller, Yiming: Britain -Yes.

I think we can take that.

[confirms with judges] Next is a calculation question.

Now, we don't repeat them in the third round, so listen up.

A recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar for every 3 cups of flour.

So how much flour is needed if you're using 4 cups of sugar?

Rogich, Adhith: 6 -That's right.

What type of reaction uses water to break covalent bonds-- Miller, Ayan: hydrolysis -Yes.

Streets of Atlantic City, New Jersey, like Marvin Gardens, the Boardwalk, they name properties that can be bought in what-- And that's Miller, Oliver: Monopoly -That's right.

The music of which country's national anthem was composed by Joseph Haydn, who lived in neighboring-- Rogich, Andrei: Germany -Yes.

Before it was acquired in 2013, Steinway Musical Instruments used the stock symbol LVB, which are the initials of which famous composer?

Rogich, Andrei: Ludwig van Beethoven -Yes.

The venom of which lizard, the biggest in the world, helps it-- That's Miller, Yiming: the Komodo dragon -Yes.

Who's the author of the short story called "The Pearl," which is a parable about a pearl diver named Kino who finds a valuable pearl and is transformed by the evil that it attracts?

Rogich, Andrei: Irving -No.

Miller, Ayan: Edgar Allan Poe -No.

John Steinbeck is the answer.

Next question.

Based on the average length of a plowed trench in farming, which unit of measurement is 660 feet long-- That's Miller, Oliver: acre -Incorrect, and that's an interruption.

--and is typically used only in horse racing?

[bell chimes, time expires] Time.

We were looking for a furlong.

Next question.

In the year 2012, Taco Bell had to hire 15,000 new employees because of the successful-- Rogich, Andrei: Doritos Locos tacos -I think we can take that, yes.

I'd love some right now.

Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, which is the only Central American country not to have a coastline-- That's Miller, Oliver: El Salvador -Yes.

This breakfast item is also a verb, meaning to vacillate.

Rogich, Andrei: waffle -That's right.

You're getting all the food questions.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is set in what state as-- And that's Rogich, Andrei: Kansas -Yes.

After Ferdinand Marcos fled in 1986, Corazon Aquino became the first female president of what country?

Rogich, Andrei: the Philippines -Yes.

Completed in 1957, a working replica of which historic ship is located-- Rogich, Andrei: the Titanic -That is incorrect and an interruption.

--is located in Massachusetts' Plymouth Harbor?

Miller, Yiming: the Mayflower -Yes.

What geometrical puzzle consists of five triangles-- Miller, Ayan: tangrams -Yes.

In 2015, the Catalan parliament voted for a peaceful disconnection from which country-- Miller, Oliver: Spain -Yes.

In January of 2021, Reddit users from r/wallstreetbets orchestrated-- And that's Miller, Oliver: GameStop -Yes.

Varying from 0.04 inches to 54 inches in length, bivalves are which type of animal?

Miller, Ayan: invertebrate -Incorrect.

Rogich, Andrei: insect -No.

They're molluscs.

Next question.

What man resigned as the Guardian of Scotland after being defeated by Edward I at Falkirk, depicted in Mel Gibson's movie-- That's Rogich, Andrei: William Wallace -Yes.

What phenomenon, named for a Scottish botanist who observed it in pollen grains, is the random wobbling motion of particles in a fluid?

Rogich, Andrei: dissolution -No.

Miller, Tejasvi: oscillation -No.

It's the Brownian motion.

No points.

Next question.

For most of the 1970s, Idi Amin was the dictator of this African country-- Miller, Yiming: Uganda -Yes.

Orange Soda, Jazzberry Jam are two colors created by which-- That's Miller, Ayan: Fanta -No.

That is incorrect and an interruption.

--two colors created by which crayon company?

Rogich, Madison: Crayola -That's right.

Coined in 1845, what term refers to the concept that the United States was entitled-- That's Miller, Oliver: Manifest Destiny -Yes.

In 1959, the U.S. Navy launched its Marine Mammal Program to study which animal, hoping to improve hydro-- And that's Rogich, Adhith: whales -No.

That is an interruption.

--hoping to improve the hydrodynamics of torpedoes?

Miller, Yiming: dolphins -That's right.

And we've run out of time, so let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] All right.

We have a final score.

Miller Middle School, 160 points, to Rogich's 85 points.

Can we have a round of applause for both teams for an excellent match?

[cheers and applause] And congratulations to the 2024-2025 Junior Varsity Quiz Silver League Champions from Miller Middle School!

However, we have a plaque for our runner-up team.

So how about a round of applause as we present a Second Place plaque to the captain and one of the coaches from Rogich Middle School!

Great job, you guys.

Congratulations.

Great season.

Congratulations.

All right.

So here is your Silver League JVQ Championship plaque for the captain and one of the coaches.

Congratulations!

Great job, you guys.

Great job.

-Thank you.

[cheers and applause] -Hey, we want you to join us next week, because we're going to wrap up the 56th season of Varsity Quiz with the Junior Varsity Quiz All-Star Match.

We're going to have superstars from all the teams playing just for fun and some bragging rights right here on Vegas PBS.