-Teams from Osbourn Park, St. John's College High School, and Gaithersburg meet today on "It's Academic."
♪♪ Hello, everybody.
I'm Hillary Howard, and welcome to "It's Academic," produced by Altman Productions in association with David M. Rubenstein Productions.
-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following -- Mitre, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.
-The world is full of challenges.
And at Mitre, we're committed to solving them.
From aviation and health to cyber and national security, our people know we are called to do more.
Mitre -- solving problems for a safer world.
-And now it's time to meet the teams.
We begin with Osbourn Park in Prince William County.
Diego, Gabriel, George, hey.
Welcome to "It's Academic."
-Hi.
-How's it going?
-Hi, guys.
-Hello.
-From St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., Natalie, Mary, Anna.
Welcome, guys.
Happy to have you.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-And from Gaithersburg High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Isabel, Ian, and Natalie.
Glad to have you here on "It's Academic."
-Hello.
-Hey.
Well, now that we've done the introductions, we can begin the opening round, where questions are worth 20 points.
Nothing off for a wrong answer.
Team 1 -- Diego, Gabriel, George.
Here we go, Osbourn Park.
"A ripe rutabaga."
Hidden in the phrase is the name of what South American country that was the site of the Inca civilization?
-Peru.
Conferring Peru.
-Peru?
That's right.
Titanium.
Carbon.
Potassium.
By combining the chemical symbols for these elements, you can get the name of what insect that spreads Lyme disease?
-Tick.
-A tick?
-Tick.
Yes.
Please fill in the blanks here to get what word, referring to a medieval peasant who was bound to the land of a feudal lord?
-All: Serf.
-Serf is right.
Burro.
Monkey.
Muskrat.
The name of which of these animals was used in the nickname of the 1925 Scopes trial held in Tennessee?
-Monkey.
-Monkey.
-Monkey.
Yeah.
"You can't blow your nose and whistle at the same time."
This is a proverb from several African countries, including what large country Where Khartoum is capital?
-Sudan.
-Sudan.
-Sudan is right.
You know what, Osbourn Park?
You got every one right.
200 points.
All right.
Team 2 from St. John's College High School.
Natalie, Mary, Anna.
Here we go.
"Calm eye rule."
Stay calm and see if you can find the hidden last name of what woman, the author of the "Twilight" series?
-Conferring Meyer.
-Yeah.
-Yeah, that sounds good.
-Final answer -- Meyer.
-Yeah.
Chromium.
Oxygen.
Tungsten.
Please combine the symbols for these chemical elements to name a black bird.
-Conferring a crow.
-That's the only one I can think of, yeah.
-Answer is?
-Should we go with it?
-Final answer -- crow.
-I think we go with it, yeah.
-Yeah, it's crow.
Blank Retriever.
Blank Current.
Place in the blanks the name of what same Canadian region and you'll name a popular breed of dog and an icy ocean current.
-Conferring Labrador.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-Final answer -- Labrador.
-Yes.
Vitamin A. Vitamin B-2.
Vitamin C. Which of these vitamins is also known as ascorbic acid?
-Conferring.
Is it vitamin B-2?
-Yeah, that sounds good.
-All right.
Final answer -- Vitamin B-2.
-It's vitamin C. "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."
This truism came from Niels Bohr, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist.
from what country whose capital is Copenhagen?
-Conferring Denmark.
-Yeah.
Denmark.
-Yeah.
-Final answer -- Denmark.
-Denmark it is.
Nice job, St. John's.
180 points.
All right, time for Team 3 from Gaithersburg High School in -- where else?
-- Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Isabel, Ian, Natalie, here's your first question.
"Arthur on TV."
Study this phrase and see if you can find the hidden name of which one of the Great Lakes?
-Conferring Huron.
-Go with that.
Sounds good.
-Yeah.
Lake Huron.
-Yeah, that's it.
Beryllium.
Argon.
Please combine the chemical symbols for these elements to name one large wild animal that is dangerous to approach.
-Conferring bear.
Right?
-Yeah, go with that.
-Bear -- final answer.
-Yeah, that's it.
"The Blank Is Down."
To complete the title of this work by John Steinbeck at what celestial body about 238,000 miles from Earth?
-Conferring "The Mars Is Down."
-The sun?
-I need an answer.
In three, two, one.
-Sun?
The answer is the moon.
You knew that one.
Macaw.
Shrew.
Okapi.
Which one of these creatures is not a mammal?
-Conferring macaw.
Right?
-Mm-hmm.
Macaw.
-Macaw.
Final answer.
-Yep.
It's macaw.
"The herring does not fry here."
This proverb, meaning not going according to plan, comes from what European lowlands country where you can eat herring in Amsterdam?
-Conferring Netherlands, right?
-Yep.
The Netherlands.
-Netherlands.
-Netherlands is right.
Nice job, Gaithersburg.
180 points.
And that's the end of the opening round.
We've got the Picture Perfect round next.
♪♪ -I'm David Rubenstein.
From the Kennedy Center and the National Archives to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, I've been pleased to support many important organizations and historic sites linked to American history, art, culture, education, and more.
I believe giving back to our country isn't just an idea.
It's an action -- a patriotic action that involves all of us.
And it begins with education and learning about our nation's past so that we, the people, can make a more perfect union for the future.
We can do it together.
Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.
♪♪ -We've reached the Picture Perfect round.
In this round, team's answers are worth 20 points up or down, 10 points off if you pass.
Osbourn Park, you're up first.
Here we go.
Here you see a 19th-century husking bee on Nantucket, an island off the coast of what cape in Massachusetts?
-Cape Cod.
-Conferring Cape Cod.
-Cape Cod.
It's right.
"A chameleon on plaid."
This dismissive comment was made about Franklin D. Roosevelt by what predecessor, the 31st president?
-Herbert Hoover.
-Herbert Hoover.
-Herbert Hoover.
-Hoover is right.
Nicely done.
The five stars stand for democracy, progress, justice, equality, and peace on the flag of what city-state located off the Malay Peninsula?
-Conferring Singapore.
-Singapore.
-Singapore is right.
Hey, nice job, Osbourn Park.
You got 'em again.
260 points.
All right, on to Team 2, St. John's College High School here in Washington.
Let's do it.
The Suez Canal, completed in 1869, remains important as the only waterway connecting the Mediterranean with what other sea?
-Conferring... -Answer?
-Do you have any idea?
-What do you guys have?
-What?
-[Indistinct] -In three, two one.
-I don't have anything.
-It is the Red Sea.
"The coach has turned into a pumpkin, and the mice have all run away."
This "Cinderella" reference was made by the wife of what 36th president after he announced he would not run for a second term because of the Vietnam War?
-Conferring Johnson, or Lyndon B. Johnson.
-Yeah.
Johnson.
-Yes, it was.
Vincent Van Gogh once served as a missionary to what European country Where Brussels is capital?
-Conferring Belgium.
-Yeah.
-Final answer -- Belgium.
-Belgium is the right answer.
St. John's, nice job.
210 points.
Gaithersburg High School, you're up.
Here's the first question.
In the Middle Ages, travelers put the herb tarragon in their shoes to treat the bites from what reptiles, such as the asp or mamba?
-Snake, right?
-A snake.
Conferring snakes.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Snakes is right.
-If that -- that should be all it takes, right?
That would be good.
"May God save the country, for it is evident the people will not."
This gloomy assessment of American democracy was made by what 13th president?
-Conferring Fillmore, right?
-Yeah, I think so.
-Yeah, you got it right.
-Fillmore.
-It is Fillmore.
In this flag of Botswana, the blue represents rain, a major concern in a country largely located in what southern African desert?
-It's the Sahara, right?
-No, that's northern.
-Okay.
-Is this the Gobi?
-Need an answer in three... -Go with that.
-The answer is Kalahari.
Gaithersburg, you've got 200 points.
Picture Perfect round is finished and the Packet Round is next.
But first, here is something really interesting.
-Hello.
I'm David Rubenstein.
Did you know there are 293 ways to make change for a dollar?
Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, 50-cent pieces.
So lots of combinations.
Feel free to do the math yourself.
Luckily, there are more than 293 ways to earn a dollar, which is a lot more important.
I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.
-Well, it's half time, which means the Packet Round.
As you know, in this round, correct answers are worth 20 points, nothing off for a wrong answer.
And if you get every answer right, there's a 25-point bonus!
Team 1, you are up.
Are you ready, Osbourn Park?
-Yes.
-Yay!
First question.
Artist James Whistler might have had a different career if he hadn't flunked chemistry at what U.S. Military Academy in New York State?
-Is it -- conferring West Point.
-Conferring West Point.
-Yeah.
-It is beautiful West Point.
Yeah.
A Kansas City newspaper once employed as an artist what man who later created Mickey Mouse?
-Walt Disney -Walt Disney.
-Conferring Walt Disney.
-Yep, of course it was.
Here's your science question.
Flagellum.
Basidium.
Follicle.
On the surface of some microscopic cells, There is what long, hair-like organelle that aids in locomotion?
-Flagellum?
-Is that your answer?
-A tail -- or no.
-In three... -Locomotion.
That sounds like flagellum.
-One more time, guys.
Give me your answer, please.
-Flagellum.
-Yes, it's flagellum.
I was so hoping you would say that.
Here's the next question.
In order to see what is billed as the world's largest chandelier, you should seek out a 12-ton lighting fixture in what South Korean capital city?
-Seoul.
-Seoul?
-Yeah.
HAL is the malfunctioning computer that causes the deaths of most of the crew in what science-fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke?
-The answer is "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Here's your math question.
Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as a positive integer.
-Conferring seven.
-Yeah.
-Seven is it.
France's Napoleon III pulled various strings when he set up what Austrian archduke as Mexico's puppet emperor in 1864?
-Conferring Maximilian II.
-You've got it.
There's that history gene you've got there, Diego.
Nice job.
380 points.
All right, on to Team 2, St. John's College High School here in Washington.
Let's do it.
Some super-heavy radioactive elements have now been assigned names, including one named for what Russian capital city?
-Conferring Moscow.
-Yeah.
-Final answer -- Moscow.
-Yes, it is.
The discovery of ancient humanoid bones in the Rising Star Cave has led to rising expectations among scientists in what country, where Johannesburg is located?
-Conferring South Africa.
-Yeah, South Africa.
Final answer -- South Africa.
-Yep.
Here's your science question.
Gram-molecular weight.
Critical mass.
Mole.
The smallest amount of fissionable material that will support a chain reaction is called which of these?
-Conferring.
Is it mole?
-I was thinking mole, too.
-No.
I don't think -- -Should we go with that?
-Wait, Anna, what were you saying?
-Final answer -- mole.
-It's critical mass.
Anchorage, Alaska, is located at the same degree of latitude as what Norwegian capital city?
-Conferring Oslo.
-Conferring.
Oslo.
Yeah.
-Yeah.
It's Oslo.
-Final answer -- Oslo.
-A woman named Beatrice was the inspiration for what Italian poet, whom she leads through paradise in "The Divine Comedy"?
-Conferring Dante.
-Mm-hmm.
-Final answer -- Dante.. -Yes, it's Dante.
Here's your math question.
If "x" equals 2, what is the value of this expression, giving your answer as an integer?
-Conferring one.
-Conferring one.
Final answer -- one.
-Yeah.
The landmark Supreme Court decision on school desegregation was handed down in 1954, but the court itself was not integrated until the 1967 appointment of what African American justice?
-Conferring Thurgood Marshall.
Yeah, that sounds right.
-Final answer -- Thurgood Marshall.
-Yes, it was Thurgood Marshall.
St. Johns, nicely done.
330 points.
Here we go, Gaithersburg.
It has long been believed that elephants have a special capacity for what mental power that is lost by victims of amnesia?
-Memory, right?
-It's memory, right?
-Yeah, memory.
-Yeah.
-It's memory.
Scientists have been working on ways to make a durable building material from what substance that could be anthracite or bituminous?
Answer in three, two, one.
It is coal.
Here's your science question.
Electron.
Proton.
Neutron.
Which of these subatomic particles was the first to be discovered?
-It's either proton or neutron, right, guys?
-Yeah, it was one of those.
-Yeah.
-Do you want to go with proton?
-Maybe the proton.
-Yeah.
-Proton?
-It was the electron.
Here's your next question.
Karate was first developed on what O-initialed Pacific Island that the United States returned to Japan in 1972?
-Is this Okinawa, right?
-Yeah.
Go with that.
-Okinawa?
-You're right.
Absolutely.
The poem "Fire and Ice" was written by what American whose last name identifies an icy weather condition?
-Robert Frost.
Yeah.
-Yeah.
Here's your math question.
What is the value of this expression, giving your answer as an integer?
-Is this 68, right?
-Yeah, that sounds right.
-Close.
-64, 64.
-64.
Yeah.
You got it.
Under the wire.
Though primarily interested in an end to slavery, what white abolitionist also urged a ban on drinking and smoking in his newspaper, "The Liberator"?
-This is Garrison.
-Yeah.
Garrison.
Right.
Yep.
-Yes.
Garrison.
Right.
Nicely done, Gaithersburg.
You've got a score of 300 points.
And that is the Packet Round.
Next, we're turning up the temperature because lightning will strike.
All right, time for that lightning strike in this Lightning Round.
Everyone's got 45 seconds to answer up to 10 questions.
They're worth 20 points up or down.
No penalty if you pass.
Osbourn Park, you're up.
Here we go.
All your answers must begin with the letter "P," as in "pop."
In three, two, one.
This is our Constitution's opening paragraph.
-Preamble.
-Preamble.
He wrote "The Pit and the Pendulum."
-Pass.
-Poe.
She was Harry Potter's aunt.
-Polly?
-Pass.
-Petunia.
This Spanish conquistador conquered Peru.
-Pizarro.
-Yes.
This term refers to a group of lions.
-Pack.
-Pride.
Louisiana is divided into these administrative units instead of counties.
-Parishes.
-Yes.
-This country has its capital at Warsaw.
-Poland.
-Yes.
He led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I.
[ Buzzer ] -Pershing.
-Oh, yeah.
It was Pershing, but you got it after the buzzer.
You know what?
Osbourn Park, You did really well.
440 points.
Time for St. John's College High School.
Let's do this.
Natalie, Mary, Anna.
All your answers must begin with a letter "P" as in "paper."
In three, two, one.
This building houses the US Defense Department.
-Pass.
-Pentagon.
-Yes.
This Ivy League university is in New Jersey.
-Princeton.
-Yes.
He was our 14th president.
-Pierce.
-Pass.
-Pierce.
Yes.
This chemical element has the symbol Pt.
-Pass.
-Platinum.
The capital of this country is Asunción.
-Pass.
-Paraguay.
He ruled Athens during its golden age.
-Pericles.
-Yeah.
This dental specialist treats your gums.
-Pass.
-Periodontist.
He won the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie.
[ Buzzer ] -Pass.
And the answer is Oliver H. Perry.
St. John's you did well.
410 points.
Time for Team 3 from Gaithersburg.
Isabel, Ian, Natalie.
Here we go.
All your answers must begin with the letter "P" as in "puppy."
in three, two, one.
This title was given to ancient Egyptian rulers.
-Pharaoh.
-Yes.
This is the New England NFL team.
-Patriots.
-Yes.
New Orleans is located between this lake and the Mississippi.
-Pass.
-Pontchartrain.
He's the Greek god of fields and forests.
-Pan.
-Yes.
This is the circular opening of the iris in your eye.
-Pupil.
-Yes.
He's the mischievous sprite in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."
-Puck.
-Yes.
This Gulf separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula.
-Persian Gulf.
-Yes.
Islamabad is the capital of -- [ Buzzer ] And the answer is Pakistan.
Gaithersburg High School, nice job.
420 points.
Well, the judges are going over the scores.
And in just a minute, we will let you know who's coming back for the play-offs.
But before that, we would love for you to consider giving back to your community like some of our very impressive students.
-I'm David Rubenstein.
And I believe giving back is something we all can do.
Students are getting involved in their communities in many important ways.
I've asked them to share with us how they're making a difference.
-I'm August Vanskike, and I go to Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland.
A charity that I've been volunteering with for a number of years now is Edu-GIRLS.
It's an organization that makes it possible for underprivileged girls in India and the Indian subcontinent to be able to go to school, get an education.
And, you know, that's really great for them because it opens up a lot more opportunities.
And I've had the opportunity to speak with a number of the girls over Zoom, and it's really amazing, and it feels really powerful to see how much better their lives have become because of the education they've been given by Edu-GIRLS.
And I think feelings like that, you know, the accomplishment you get from seeing something like that is why more people should volunteer.
-Like these students, you, too, can help improve the lives of so many people by volunteering in your town and community.
Please read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.
-The scores are now official.
First, congratulations goes to St. John's College High School from Washington D.C. Natalie, Mary, Anna -- 410 points.
And congratulations to Gaithersburg High School from Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Isabel, Ian, and Natalie -- 420 points.
This was a very close game.
Everyone within 30 points of each other.
Coming back for the play-offs -- Osbourn Park High School from Prince William county.
Diego, Gabriel, and George -- 440 points.
Whoo!
Let's hear it for our incredible teams and you, our incredible viewers.
Really happy you could join us today and match wits with some of these very impressive students.
-Support for "It's Academic" has been provided by the following -- Mitre, a not-for-profit research and development company working in the public interest.
At Mitre, we're committed to solving some of our biggest challenges in national security, cyber, aviation, and health.
And our dedication to service starts at home, working to fight hunger, serving people in need, protecting public health, and supporting our civic institutions.
This is serving the public.
This is Mitre.
Solving problems for a safer world.
-Please join us next week when Georgetown Day, Lake Braddock, and George Marshall high schools compete on "It's Academic."
I'm Hillary Howard.
See you then.
Bye, guys.
♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.