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

-Tonight it's Palo Verde... [cheers and applause] ...taking on Moapa!

[cheers and applause] This is Varsity Quiz!

[crashing sound] ♪♪♪ [cheers and applause] Welcome to the 55th season of Varsity Quiz where the best and the brightest high school students match wits in this challenging academic competition.

It's a pleasure for me to be your host, Nathan Tannenbaum.

After crowning a Blue League champion a couple of weeks ago, well, the road to the Silver League title continues here with the third of four Quarterfinal matches, Palo Verde facing Moapa Valley.

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

Palo Verde has a record of 5-1 in their division.

Let's meet their starters: There's Ro.

Hi, Ro.

There's Ben.

Hi, Ben.

Aaron and German.

And the coaches for Palo Verde, Kateri Christian and Duane Hanson.

Ladies and gentlemen, Palo Verde!

[applause] And for Moapa Valley, well, they had a record of 5-1 in their division.

Let's meet their starters: There's Evin.

Hi, Evin.

We got Will.

Howdy, Will.

Isaac, the captain.

And Bonnie.

Hi, Bonnie.

And the coach from Moapa Valley, Greg Thompson.

Ladies and gentlemen, Moapa Valley!

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

Now, there is a 5 point deduction if a team incorrectly answers a question before it's been fully read.

Students, you ready?

Let's play Varsity Quiz.

What is the term for a government led by a king or queen with limited powers?

That's Moapa, Isaac: monarchy -I think we need more.

-parliamentary monarchy -Incorrect.

Palo Verde, Ro: absolute monarchy -No.

It is a constitutional monarchy.

So no points.

We move to the next question.

Fossil evidence of quill knobs on some non-avian dinosaurs has led to discussion of the presence of what feature for these creatures?

Palo, German: feathers -Yes.

Points on the board for Palo.

We keep going.

By population, what is the largest city in Oceania?

Palo, Aaron: Melbourne -That's incorrect.

Moapa, Isaac: Sydney -Yes.

Points on the board for Moapa, and on we go.

"Legal equity" refers to equal treatment for all in the legal system.

It's sometimes used synonymously with what word in the Pledge of Allegiance that's defined as fair treatment for all?

Moapa, Isaac: justice -Yes, sir.

We keep going.

What is the hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles in the body?

Palo, Aaron: melatonin -Yes.

What's the term for the force of attraction between two objects with mass?

Palo, Aaron: gravity -Yes.

Oh, "That Scottish Play," that's a euphemism for which Shakespearean work?

Palo, Aaron: Macbeth -Yes.

The word "symphony" has Greek origins.

What two words did it come from?

Palo, Ben: sound and together -I think we can take that.

Yes.

Next question is a calculation question, students.

Factor the expression 4x squared - 49.

Repeating.

Factor-- Oh, we'll go with Palo, Aaron: (2x - 7)(2x + 7) -That is correct.

And next question.

In April of 2023, a jury found that this actress was not at fault in a ski slope collision at the Deer Valley Resort-- And that's Palo, Ro: Gwyneth Paltrow -Correct.

The durian fruit smells awful, tastes delicious, and botanically has the largest number of what ripened ovules?

Palo, Ro: seeds -Yes.

What's the highest number used to count, even if it's not a natural or real number?

And that's Palo, Aaron: infinity -Yes.

What process can be defined as the laying down of layers of sediment that's been carried and dropped by water, wind, ice, or gravity?

Moapa, Isaac: sedimentation -No.

Palo, Aaron: buildup -No.

We were looking for deposition.

No points.

Next question.

What's the largest true fish in the ocean?

Palo, Aaron: whale shark -Yes.

What type of electromagnetic radiation has the shortest wavelength?

Palo, Aaron: ultraviolet -No.

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

Next question.

Ardipithecus was an early hominid first described in 2001 by Yohannes Haile-Selassie from fossil remains that he'd found in the Middle Awash area of which African nation?

Palo, Ro: Egypt -No.

Moapa, Isaac: Ethiopia -Correct.

Next question.

What law of physics explains the behavior of gases under changing conditions?

Moapa, Isaac: Boyle's law -Incorrect.

Palo, Aaron: Ideal gas law -Yes.

Who was the first female Pharaoh of ancient Egypt?

And that's Palo, Ben: Hatshepsut -Yep.

What two-word area of study focuses on living organisms in the world's oceans?

Palo, Ben: marine biology -That's correct.

Which galaxy has the supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A#* at its center?

Moapa, Isaac: Andromeda -No.

Palo, Aaron: Cassiopeia -No.

We were staying right here at home in the Milky Way.

Next question.

"Concerto" is the term for a piece of music written for a solo instrument, often with symphonic backing.

They became popular near the end of which time period of music?

Palo, Ro: Baroque -Yes.

What economic term refers to the manufacture of goods, the execution of services?

Basically, what is accomplished by those who work?

Moapa, Isaac: production -Yes.

Next is a calculation question.

Paulo's garden: 15 meters long, 5 meters wide.

If he plants a different plant in each square meter, how many plant types does he plant?

Palo, Aaron: 75 -Yes.

Okay.

The race was on.

The results were disputed; however, who got the credit for reaching the North Pole first?

Palo, Ro: Amundsen -Yes.

Brachiopods were what type of creatures by environment and presence or lack of backbone?

Palo, Aaron: Cephalopods -No.

Moapa, Isaac: invertebrates -Do we need more information?

Okay.

Yes!

That is the end of the first round, but don't go anywhere.

Give these kids a round of applause.

We got through our first round.

Absolutely!

Good job, you guys.

[applause] We're gonna take a minute or two to learn more about our players.

We're gonna start with Palo.

We have 10th grader Ro.

Hi, Ro.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you.

You wrote that you like to build things.

What do you like to build?

-I like building Legos, and I really like building IKEA furniture.

-Wow!

You better not let the word get out.

People will start calling you.

-Oh, no, they have.

-Okay.

And you're happy to do that?

-Yes.

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

Next we have 12th grader Ben.

Hi, Ben.

-Hello.

-Glad to have you here.

This says you've been studying a couple of things for quite a while, and you're working on becoming fluent.

What are those?

-Yeah.

I'm working toward becoming fluent in both Latin and Greek.

Even though they're both ancient languages, I've enjoyed studying them since elementary school.

-Wow!

Well, that's quite a task.

Good luck with that.

-Thank you.

-And good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 12th grader Aaron.

Hi, Aaron.

-What's up?

-Nice to have you on the show.

This says that you have a specific kind of car that means a lot to you.

What car are you talking about?

-I have a 1987 Toyota Supra that I work on constantly.

I found it in the junkyard and kind of brought it back to life.

-Wow!

And it still works?

-It works now.

-Okay.

Well, good luck with that.

Keep it going.

And good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

And here we have German.

Hi, German.

-Hi, what's up?

-It says you've made plans for college after high school.

What are you going to be doing?

-I'm gonna major in Biology at UNR.

-Oh, great!

So obviously you're a big fan of biology.

-Yep.

-Good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's Palo Verde.

[applause] So let's meet our players now from Moapa.

We say hello to 10th grader, Evin.

Hi, Evin.

-Howdy.

-Nice to have you here.

I'm not sure what this means.

But can you explain about "learning random facts"?

-So random facts, more specifically history, is exactly what I want to learn in school.

-Okay.

-Because it's just really interesting to me, in general.

-Now, did anybody ever show you a book called an encyclopedia?

-I have looked into several.

-Yeah.

I mean, it's awesome.

They're full of facts.

Good luck with that.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 10th grader Will.

Hi, Will.

-Hello.

-Nice to see you here.

This says that you like to do stuff outside.

You wrote a couple of particular things down.

Do you remember what you wrote?

-Four-wheeler and like buggies and stuff.

-Yeah.

So where do you go four-wheeling?

Just up there in the Moapa Valley?

-Anywhere, really.

There's just a lot of dirt everywhere.

-Yeah.

All right.

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

Thanks, Will.

Here is 12th grader Isaac, the captain of the team.

Hi, Isaac.

-Ola.

-Nice to see you here.

It says you like interesting food combinations.

Can you tell us just one interesting food combination?

-Green tomato pie.

-Green tomato pie?

Anybody ever tried that?

We'll have to give it a shot.

Isaac, thank you so much.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Here's 11th grader Bonnie.

Hi, Bonnie.

-Hi.

-Nice to see you here.

You've played a musical instrument for a while.

What is that?

-The violin.

-And is there an orchestra at your school?

-Yes, there is.

But it's very small.

-But you're in it, right?

-Not exactly.

I take private lessons.

-Oh, that's even better.

Good luck with the violin.

Good luck here on Varsity Quiz.

Ladies and gentlemen, the team from Moapa.

[applause] -Our bonus round is next.

So here we go into Round 2.

Our score: Palo Verde has got 80 points.

Moapa Valley has got 25.

Anything can happen.

Hey, before we move on, we have one new player for Palo Verde.

We say hello to Kyle.

Welcome aboard!

-Hello.

-Nice to have you here.

So in this bonus round, each of 10 possible questions worth 5 points.

Teams with correct answers will get a couple of bonus questions.

Each one of those is worth 5 points.

And on these bonus questions, that's where we have team conferring.

You guys can talk amongst yourselves.

We give you 10 seconds before we need a response from the team's captain.

Now, this round is timed at six minutes, which begins as I read this question.

What's the total voltage of three 12-volt batteries connected in parallel?

Moapa, Isaac: 36 volts -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] It's kind of a trick question.

It's 12 volts.

No bonus questions.

We move on to this question for both teams.

Idaho borders which Canadian province?

Moapa, Isaac: Vancouver -Incorrect.

Palo, Ro: British Columbia -That's correct.

So we have bonus questions about geography now for Palo Verde only.

First, what resort area along St. Lawrence lent its name to a salad dressing?

Second, what's the most populous city touching the US-Mexican border in Baja California?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-For the first, Thousand Island.

For the second, San Diego.

-Thousand Island is correct, but the second one is Tijuana.

So you get some bonus points, but not all.

Now this question for both teams.

It's a calculation question.

What's the sum of two consecutive positive odd integers whose product is 35?

Repeating.

The sum of-- We'll go with Moapa, Isaac: 12 -Yes.

Bonus calculation questions now for Moapa only.

First, name two consecutive even integers whose product is 80; second, what do we call a set of two numbers to locate a point on a graph?

Let me repeat both of those.

First, name two consecutive even integers whose product is 80; second, what do we call a set of two numbers to locate a point on a graph?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First, 18.

And second, slope.

-I think those are both incorrect.

We were looking for 8,10 or -8,-10.

And then the points on a graph is coordinates.

No bonus points.

We have this question now for both teams.

What was the last capital of tsarist Russia?

Palo, Aaron: St. Petersburg -Correct.

Bonus questions for Paolo only about cities.

First, which city hosts the Tribeca Film Festival?

Second, which Colorado city is Spanish for "town"?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] -For the first, New York.

For the second, Pueblo.

-Both are correct.

You've got bonus points.

Here's a question for both teams now.

Alexander the Great was born in what kingdom?

Moapa, Isaac: Macedonia -That is correct.

Here's bonus questions now for Moapa only about Alexander the Great.

First, who was Alexander's famous tutor?

Second, which Athenian orator warned fellow Greeks of the expansionist aims of Alexander the Great's father, Philip, and his Macedonian kingdom?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First, Plato; second, Pericles.

-Both are incorrect.

We were looking for Aristotle as the tutor and Demosthenes was the second one.

No bonus points.

This question for both teams now.

Identify John Locke's nationality.

Palo, Aaron: British -I think we can take that.

Bonus questions now for Palo only about John Locke.

First, identify John Locke's profession; second, he lived most of his life in the latter part of which century?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-For the first, philosopher.

For the second, 18th.

-Philosopher is correct.

The other was the 17th century.

Some bonus points, but not all.

Question for both teams now.

For two sets, A and B, which set consists of all members of either set?

Moapa, Isaac: both -Incorrect.

Palo, Aaron: set B -No.

We were looking for union.

Next question for both teams.

In which city, still famed for its annual music festival, was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart born?

Moapa, Isaac: Salzburg -Yes.

Bonus questions now for Moapa only about Mozart.

First, name his father, a court musician.

Second, which instrument, a piano predecessor, was Mozart playing when he was three years old?

10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First, Leopold Mozart.

And second, harpsichord.

Both are correct.

You got bonus points.

Now this question for both teams.

In Chris Van Allsburg's book, what train goes to the North Pole on Christmas Eve?

Moapa, Isaac: Polar Express -I love that train.

Okay, bonus questions for Moapa only about American literature.

First, what category of novels would you associate with most of James Michener's works?

Second, Rules of Engagement by Joe Weber, that's a novel about what war?

You have 10 seconds.

[students deliberate] Captain?

-First, science fiction.

Second, World War II.

-Both are incorrect.

Michener was historical novels.

And it was the Vietnam War.

So no bonus points there, and we're out of time on our second round.

Before we go, we want to take just a quick moment to say thank you to the Kiwanis Club of Las Vegas.

They have provided decades of help during in-school competitions long before we get to the post-season play here at Vegas PBS.

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

Our speed round coming right up.

All right.

We're getting ready for Round 3.

Let's get the score update: Palo Verde 115 points.

Moapa has got 55.

If we get through everything in this round, you never know what's going to happen.

We have one new player for Palo.

We say hello to Caden.

Welcome aboard!

All the other players remain the same.

And all of the Moapa players look very familiar.

Good to see you guys still hanging in there.

So in this speed round, we have 30 possible questions.

Correct answers, again, worth 5 points.

This is a timed round at six minutes.

We get to as many as we can.

If we get through all 30 before the six minutes, the round will still be over.

We'll find out who won.

Let's go!

A primary objective of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was to survey which two rivers to find a passage to the Pacific?

Moapa, Isaac: Mississippi and Missouri -Incorrect.

Palo, Aaron: Mississippi and Colorado -No.

It was the Missouri and the Columbia.

Next question.

What technological advancement is associated with Homo habilis?

Palo, Aaron: spears -I don't think that's correct.

Moapa, Isaac: chariots -No.

They were-- he made stone tools.

Yeah, he was Tool Time.

Next question.

Which American author of M.C.

Higgins the Great was also the author of the book Zeely that won the Newbery Award in 1975?

[bell chimes, time expires] Virginia Hamilton.

Next question.

Which Island is the second largest in the world and the largest in the Pacific Ocean?

Moapa, Isaac: Australia -Incorrect.

Palo, Caden: Japan -No.

We were looking for New Guinea.

Next question.

What's the medical term for your shinbone?

Palo, Aaron: tibula -No.

Moapa, Isaac: tibia -Yes.

You put them both together.

Next question.

What's the process by which a cell engulfs large particles or other cells?

Palo, Ro: exocytosis -Incorrect.

Moapa, Isaac: osmosis -No.

It's phagocytosis.

Next question.

What two-word phrase is the measure of the number of people looking for work at any given time?

-Moapa, Isaac: unemployment rate -That is correct?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

So what type of government was the outcome of the Russian Revolution?

Palo, Aaron: communist -Yes.

Calculation question.

We don't repeat in the third round, so listen up.

A rectangle with a perimeter 30 centimeters is twice as long as it is wide.

So what is the area of the rectangle in square centimeters?

Palo, Ben: 200 centimeters squared -Incorrect.

[bell chimes, time expires] -We were looking for 50.

Next question.

Snow leopards are indigenous to which cold, arid region in Southern Mongolia and Northern China?

Palo, Ro: Himalayan -Incorrect.

Moapa, Isaac: Manchuria -No.

We were looking for the Gobi Desert.

Next question.

What process involves the movement of carbon between living organisms and their environment?

Moapa, Isaac: decomposition -No.

Palo, Aaron: respiration -No.

That's the carbon cycle.

Next question.

Which "Giant of American Letters" wrote The Pearl and The Grapes of Wrath?

Moapa, Isaac: John Steinbeck -That's right.

Yes, sir.

What law of physics states that the total electric charge of an isolated system remains constant?

Moapa, Isaac: ohm's law -Incorrect.

That's Palo, Caden: Coulomb's law -No.

It is called the conservation of charge.

Next question.

What's the largest lake in the world by-- Palo, Ro: Lake Baikal -No.

That's incorrect.

The world-- largest lake in the world by surface area?

Moapa, Isaac: Lake Victoria -No.

It's the Caspian Sea.

Next question.

Who is the iconic singer-songwriter behind "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Blowin' in the Wind"?

Moapa, Isaac: Elton John -No.

[bell chimes, time expires] "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind."

Bob Dylan.

Next question.

Which African terrorist group became infamous for kidnapping schoolgirls in Nigeria in 2014?

Moapa, Isaac: Al Qaeda -No.

Palo, Aaron: ISIS -No.

It was Boko Haram.

Next question.

The sentence, "As a teacher, people ask her questions all the time," that has what type of modifier?

Palo, Aaron: dangling -That's right.

Next question.

Who wrote the influential essay collection "Self-Reliance" [bell chimes, time expires] Ralph Waldo Emerson.

An example of this process would be velcro, created by studying how burrs stick to each other.

So what term is used for science innovation based on nature?

Moapa, Isaac: natural innovation -No, huh-uh.

[bell chimes, time expires] Biomimicry.

Next question.

What is the radian measure of a right angle?

Moapa, Isaac: pi over 2 -Can we take that?

Do we need more?

The judges say you're good.

When all of its fuel has been burned up, what type of object will our sun become?

Palo, Ro: a black hole -No.

Moapa, Isaac: red giant -No.

It's gonna be a white dwarf.

Next question.

In 2023, what fruit crop in Georgia was severely impacted by severe winter weather?

Palo, Aaron: peach -Yep.

What song by Maroon 5 features Cardi B released in 2018?

Palo, Caden: "Girls Like You" -Hey, we got a Cardi B fan.

Right on!

What's the name of the theory that suggests the universe originated from a hot, dense state and it's been expanding ever since.

Palo, Aaron: Bang theory -Yes.

Which large state rich in natural resources is known as the "Last Frontier"?

Palo, Ro: Alaska -Yes.

And we're out of time.

Let's find out who won.

[crashing sound] Final score tonight: Palo Verde's 140 points over Moapa Valley's 75.

Thanks to both teams for a great match.

Congratulations to both teams!

[applause] And congratulations to Palo Verde for the win.

Now, we want you to tune in next week because it's going to be A-Tech taking on Green Valley.

That'll be the last Quarterfinal Match.

Sure to be another exciting night of Varsity Quiz right here on Vegas PBS.

Goodnight!

[applause] ♪♪♪