-Students from Maret... Magruder... And McLean 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.
First, from Washington, D.C., the Maret School.
Hello, Shreyas, Lucas and Aidan, great to see you back here on "It's Academic."
Hi!
-Hello.
-From Magruder High School in Rockville, Uday, Agastya, and Henry, great to see you.
Hi.
-Hello.
-And returning from McLean High School, our champions from last year, Noah, Carter, Andrew -- really good to see you.
-Hello.
-Hey!
-Hi.
-Well, now that we've met everyone, we could talk about this opening round where questions are worth 20 points.
Nothing off for a wrong answer.
Okay, Team 1, Maret -- Shreyas, Lucas, Aiden -- here we go.
"He came racing in" race to look at this sentence, and you'll find hidden within it the name of what Invention associated with George Eastman and now found in every smartphone.
-Uh, conferring camera?
-Camera.
Final answer camera.
-Correct.
Opaque.
Angry.
Short.
Clear.
Which two of these four words would best be paired as antonyms?
-Conferring.
-Conferring.
Opaque and clear.
-Opaque and clear, yeah.
Opaque and clear.
-That's it.
-Final answer.
-Hamburg to Hyksos.
This volume of an old encyclopedia would have information on what German airship that blew up in New Jersey in 1937.
-Conferring -- Hindenburg?
-Yes, Hindenburg.
-Hindenburg -- "Oh, the humanity," remember?
Sumerian, French, Italian.
Of these three languages, which one goes back farthest in recorded history?
-Conferring -- Sumerian?
-Yes, Sumerian.
Final answer.
-You got it again.
"If you can't convince them, confuse them."
This bit of political advice comes from, what 33rd American president?
-Conferring -- that's Truman, right?
Yeah, Truman.
-Okay, Truman, final answer.
-Oh, Maret, you did well.
Got every single one of them with a score of 200 points.
Now, to Team 2 from Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland -- Uday, Agastya, and Henry.
Here we go.
"Stay a leader."
You too, can be a leader if you find in this phrase the name of what Ivy League University in New Haven, Connecticut.
-Conferring.
Yale.
-Yale.
Conferring Yale.
-Final.
Yale.
-Yep.
Truculent, resonant, pugnacious, real.
Of these four words, which two are synonyms?
-Confer: truculent and real?
-Okay.
-Agree.
-I think that's right.
-The answer is truculent and pugnacious.
Key to larva: You've checked this volume of an old encyclopedia to get information on what renal organs of the body?
-Kidney -- conferring, kidney.
-Kidney.
-Kidney it is.
6th Amendment, 27th Amendment, 18th Amendment.
Your right to trial by jury is guaranteed by which of these constitutional amendments?
-Conferring: 6th.
-6th.
-6th, final.
-6th is it.
"Someone with his mug on one side of the fence and his wump on the other."
This was the description of a mugwump, a Republican who deserted the party in 1884 to support what man who became our 22nd and then 24th president.
-Conferring, Cleveland.
Grover Cleveland.
-Yep -- final, Cleveland.
-Grover Cleveland is it.
Nicely done, Magruder.
You've got 180 points.
Time to meet team three for McLean High School.
Our returning champions, Noah, Carter, Andrew.
Here we go.
"In winter I order" -- study these words and see if you can find the name of what cabinet department in charge of our national parks.
-Conferring, Interior.
-Interior.
-Yeah.
Yeah.
Interior.
Final answer.
-Yeah!
Refer, concur, toil, differ -- which two of these four words are best paired as opposites.
-Concur and differ?
-Yeah.
Yeah.
Carter, do you agree with that?
-What did you say?
-Do you agree?
Concur and differ.
Concur, differ, final answer.
-Yeah.
Good.
Belle to Byron.
You'd look in this volume of an old encyclopedia for information.
about what 19th century German scientist who invented the standard laboratory burner that bears his name.
-Conferring: Bunsen.
-Conferring: Bunsen?
Yeah.
-Yeah.
Bunsen.
Final answer.
-The Bunsen burner, yes.
Cotton, cocoa, wheat.
Which of these is a major export of Canada?
-Okay, I'm -- conferring, I assume it's wheat.
Yeah.
-Me too.
-Wheat.
Final answer.
-Yeah.
"All men are equal before fish."
This remark was made by what 31st president, who had plenty of time to go fishing after he lost the 1932 election.
-Conferring: Hoover.
-Hoover.
Yeah.
-Yeah.
Hoover.
Final answer.
-Very well done, McLean, you've got 200 points.
And that's the end of the opening round!
"Picture Perfect" 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.
♪♪ -It's time for the "Picture Perfect" round, everybody -- in this round answers are worth 20 points up or down; 10 points off if you pass.
Team 1, you're up.
Shreyas, Lucas and Aidan, from Maret, here we go.
Here you see just a tiny fraction of the 100 billion stars that make up what spiral galaxy of which our solar system is a part.
-Conferring: Milky Way.
-Yep.
-Okay, Final answer.
Milky Way.
-Yeah, it's humbling, isn't it, to see that picture?
What is the positive value of X in this equation?
-Conferring: 2?
-Uh, yeah, I think so.
I think it's 2.
Final answer: 2.
-Yeah, it's 2.
Here you see part of the old fortress wall erected centuries ago in what Florida city, the oldest in the country?
-Conferring -- [ Cross talk ] -Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.
-Nice.
-Okay.
Final answer, Fort Lauderdale.
-No, it's Saint Augustine.
But, Maret, you did a really nice job.
220 points.
Team 2 from Magruder is up.
Uday, Agastya, Henry.
Here we go.
French revolutionaries were disappointed when they found only seven prisoners inside what prison that they stormed on July 14th, 1789?
-Bastille?
-Yep!
Bastille.
At how many points does the graph on this curve intersect the X axis?
-Conferring: twice?
-Agreed.
-Yes.
-Twice.
-Twice is right.
This map was used by Sir Walter Raleigh when he sent settlers to North Carolina to establish what lost colony?
-Conferring: Roanoke?
-Uday?
-Roanoke, final.
-Yeah.
Roanoke is right.
Nice job, Magruder.
You've got 240 points.
And now the Team 3, McLean High School -- Noah, Carter, Andrew, here's the first clue.
This is Francois I of France, a monarch who's court artists included what Italian master who painted the "Mona Lisa"?
-Conferring: Da Vinci?
-Conferring: Da Vinci?
-Yeah.
-Da Vinci.
Final answer.
-Leonardo Da Vinci.
Yeah.
Evaluate this expression.
If X equals 1 and Y equals 0.
-So, 16 divided by 4, so -- -Conferring: 4?
-Yes.
-Yeah.
Okay.
4, final answer.
-Yes.
The Mayan inspired design of this waterfall reflects the step pyramids built by Mayan Indians on what large Mexican peninsula?
-Conferring: Yucatan.
-Conferring: Yucatan.
-Yeah.
Yeah.
Yucatan.
Final answer.
-You did it again, McLean.
Yes, It's the Yucatan.
And you've got 260 points.
And that's it for the "Picture Perfect" round.
In just a minute, we'll learn more about these amazing students and dive into the "Packet Round."
But first, here's something you might want to know.
-Hello, I'm David Rubenstein.
Did you know that President Teddy Roosevelt won the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize?
In fact, he was the first president to do so.
The award was made in recognition of Roosevelt's role in negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War a year earlier with the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth.
I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved and make a difference.
-Well, it's halftime, which means it's time for the "Packet Round."
As you know, of course, in this round, questions are worth 20 points.
Nothing off for a wrong answer.
And if you get every answer right?
Cha-ching, 25 point bonus.
Team 1 is the Maret School from here in Washington, Shreyas, Lucas and Aiden, you are up.
But before we begin, we'd really like to know more about you.
So we begin with the captain -- Shreyas.
Hello!
Tell us about yourself.
-I'm a 17 year old senior at Maret.
I also play for the varsity tennis team and I play trumpet in the jazz combo.
-We've had a lot of jazz players recently.
What works do you like best?
-Um, I guess I got to go.
Louis Armstrong.
He's great.
-Louis is great.
One of my favorites.
Great to have you with us, Shreyas.
Lucas, what are you up to these days?
-Hello.
Um.
I mean, not much.
I just like to hang out with friends.
You know, watch YouTube, watch TV.
But I also like to do math, and I think when I grow up, I want to do something related to that, so... -That's beautiful.
Nice to have you, Lucas.
And finally, Aiden.
Hello.
What are you up to in and out of school?
-Hey, so I'm a sophomore at Maret.
I'm on the soccer team and also like to play baseball as well.
-Nice.
And now I've got some questions, Maret.
Here we go.
Centuries ago, the Portuguese sought an all-water route to India because the old routes were controlled by Genoa and what Italian city of canals?
-Conferring: Venice?
-Conferring: Venice?
-Yeah, Venice.
-Yeah.
Venice.
Final answer.
-The beautiful Venice.
Yes.
According to one study, death rates for children in poor countries dropped by half if the household included what female relative visited by Little Red Riding Hood?
-Conferring: Grandma?
-Conferring: grandmother.
-Yeah.
Okay.
Grandmother, final answer.
-Yeah.
Here's your science question.
Sodium, sulfur, phosphorus: Black gunpowder is a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal, and which of these elements?
-Conferring.
-Conferring.
I think -- is it sulfur?
-Yeah, I was going to say sulfur.
Is that what you think, Aidan, too?
-That's what I would think.
Yeah.
-Okay, sulfur, final answer.
-That's it.
Thousands of men and horses froze to death on the night of November 8th, 1812, during Napoleon's retreat from what huge country he had invaded earlier that year.
-Uh, conferring.
Russia.
-Russia.
-Okay.
Russia.
Final answer.
-Russia.
-Yeah.
Russia is right.
After William and Mary replaced Mary's father on the English throne, they banned what Shakespeare tragedy about a king mistreated by two of his daughters?
-Conferring... -Is it "Lear"?
-I think it might be "King Lear."
Okay.
"King Lear"?
"King Lear," final answer.
-King Lear is right -- clearly, Mary was no Cordelia.
Here's your math question.
Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as a positive integer.
-Conferring: is it 5 plus 5 plus 10?
20?
-Yeah, that's 20.
Yeah, 20.
-Okay.
20.
Final answer.
-Yes.
What immigrant who once worked as a candle maker in New York returned to his native Italy to lead the Red Shirts and the fight for Italian unification.
-Uh, conferring.
Do you guys know?
-I don't know.
I have no clue.
-Okay.
Um -- huh?
-Pass.
-Okay, uh, pass.
-The answer is Garibaldi.
You did a very nice job out there.
340 points!
Now to meet Team 2 from Magruder High School in Rockville.
We begin with the captain, Uday.
Hello, Uday.
Great to see you.
What are you up to these days?
-I'm a senior at Magruder, and I do debate and I teach chess.
-You teach chess!
And what's the first thing you teach aspiring students?
-Uh, the first thing I teach is to always defend before you attack.
-All right, I'll remember that next time I play my kid, who usually beats me.
Thank you very much, Uday.
Hello, Agastya.
Tell us about yourself.
-I'm Agastya, a sophomore at Magruder.
I played trumpet in the marching band, and I'm in the Civil Air Patrol.
-Tell me about that, the Civil Air Patrol.
What do you do?
-It's basically, it's the Air Force Auxiliary, and I'm a junior cadet, so I attend weekly meetings that are classes.
I get to go on discovery rides.
-Cool.
Well, it's great to have you here with us.
And finally, Henry.
Hello, Henry.
What are you doing in and out of school?
-I'm a 15 year old sophomore at Magruder High School, and I'm currently volunteering at a nature center where I take care and feed animals of all different species, which is my true hobby.
-Well, beautiful.
It's great to have you with us, Henry.
Team 2 from Magruder is up.
Uday, Agastya, Henry -- here we go.
When the Allies landed in Normandy in 1944, what historic bell was tapped, not rung, because it had been cracked many years before in Philadelphia?
-Conferring: Liberty Bell?
-Liberty Bell.
-Yes, it is.
-Liberty Bell.
-A Tennessee aquarium once lit a Christmas tree using electricity generated by what kind of elongated fish with electric varieties?
-Conferring: eel?
-Eel.
Eel, final.
-Can you believe that?
That's so interesting.
Here's your science question.
Velocity, kinetic energy, inertia: as an automobile accelerates uniformly, there will be no change in which of these things.
-Conferring: velocity?
-Agree.
-Velocity, final.
-Nah, it's inertia.
Most brooks are calm and peaceful, but Donnybrook was a boisterous annual affair held near what Irish capital city -Dublin; confer.
-Dublin.
-Yes, it is Dublin.
"The House of the Dead" is just one of the cheerful novels by what Russian author who also wrote "Crime and Punishment"?
-Dostoyevsky?
confer.
-Uh, that sounds right.
-Dostoyevsky is right.
Here's your math question.
Evaluate this expression.
-I'd say -- -Conferring: 36?
-36.
Yeah.
36, final.
-Yep.
It's 36.
Although many treaties involving America have been signed in Paris, the treaty ending the War of 1812 was signed in what other European city?
-London, maybe?
Oh, no, Ghent, I'd say Ghent.
-That sounds right.
-Okay.
-Yeah, you're right.
It is Ghent.
Wonderful job, Magruder.
You've got 360 points.
Time to meet Team 3 from McLean High School.
Noah, it is good to see you.
What are you up to these days?
-It's good to see you too, Hillary.
In school, I've been learning physics and chemistry, and outside of school I've been playing my guitar a lot.
-And what do you play on your guitar?
-Mainly rock music.
-All right.
Rock music.
I'm familiar with it.
It's good to see you, Noah.
Carter, how about you?
-Hi, I'm a 17 year old junior, and my free time, I like to watch a lot of movies and then I play trumpet at school.
-Great.
Well, it's really good to have you, Noah.
And, Andrew, tell us about yourself.
-Hi, I'm a junior at McLean and I've been playing the viola in the school's orchestra and also singing in the choir.
-Wonderful.
And now, of course, I get to ask you questions.
Here is the first one, McLean: Data acquired by NASA's Messenger spacecraft show that what planet closest to the sun has shrunk more than a mile in diameter since its inception?
-Conferring: Mercury?
-Mercury.
-Yeah.
-Mercury.
Final answer.
-Yep, that's it.
Just 40 of the more than 600 members are needed to convene what lower house of the British Parliament?
-Conferring: House of Commons?
Yes.
House of Commons.
Final answer.
-House of Commons is correct.
Here's your science question.
Dark vortex, Blind Spot, Vision Reactor: Which of these terms refers to the area of the human eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina and no visual image can be formed?
-Conferring: blind spot?
-Confer -- Andrew, what do you think?
Okay.
Blind spot.
Final answer.
-Blind spot it is.
In addition to exploring and naming Florida, Ponce de Leon was named first governor of what Caribbean island where San Juan is capital?
-Conferring: Puerto Rico.
-Puerto Rico?
-Yeah.
Yeah.
Puerto Rico, final answer.
-Yes, it is.
"The Green Hills of Africa" was a nonfiction book by what 20th century American writer whose novels include "The Old Man and the Sea"?
-Conferring: Hemingway.
-Hemingway.
-Yeah.
-Hemingway.
Final answer.
-Yeah, it's Hemingway.
Here's your math question.
What is the value of X?
-Conferring seven-- No, wait.
-Conferring: 25, I think.
-Um.
Yeah.
4/5, 4/5 -- 25.
Final answer.
-25 is right.
Here's your next question.
What French general, a World War I hero, later headed the collaborationist Vichy government during World War II?
-Conferring: Petain.
-Philippe Petain.
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Pe-- Peta-- Andrew, can you say the answer?
-Philippe Petain -You got it right.
You did a fabulous job, McLean, got every one, 425 points.
And that's the "Packet Round."
Next, of course, we're going to make it hot in here because it is the "Lightning Round."
All right.
We have arrived at the "Lightning Round."
In this round, you have 45 seconds to answer up to ten questions.
They're worth 20 points up or down.
No penalty if you pass.
Maret, you go first.
Shreyas, Lucas, Aiden, here's what we're playing.
All your answers must contain somewhere the letters T-O-R, as in "torrent."
In three, two, one.
This funnel-shaped storm can be very destructive.
-Tornado.
-Yes.
Every four years this college chooses the U.S. president.
-Electoral.
Yes.
This Italian physicist invented the barometer.
-Pass.
-Torricelli.
This longest band of latitude separates the southern and northern hemispheres.
-Equator.
-Yes.
In an Aesop's fable, this type of turtle raced with the hare.
-Tortoise.
-Yes.
The Statue of Liberty holds this high in her right hand.
-Torch.
-Yes.
The brother of Pollux, he's one of the Gemini.
-Castor?
-Yes.
This is Canada's largest city.
-Toronto.
-In physics, this is a twisting force that tends to cause rotation -- [ Buzzer ] -Torque!
Torque.
-Oh, yes, it is torque, but it came after the buzzer.
Don't worry about it, Maret.
You did nicely.
480 points.
Team 2 from Magruder High School, Uday, Agastya Henry.
Time to play the Lightning Round.
All your answers must contain somewhere the letters B-E-R, as in "berry."
In three, two, one.
This is the capital of Germany.
-Berlin.
Yes.
Charles Goodyear vulcanized this substance.
-Rubber.
-Yes.
This cold Northern Sea is named for a Danish navigator.
-Pass.
-Bering.
This physicist studied the speed of fluids.
-Bernoulli.
-Yeah.
This word precedes equality and fraternity in a French Revolution slogan.
-Pass.
-Liberty.
He's the current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
-Roberts.
-Yes.
This Lewis Carroll poem begins "Twas brillig, and the slithy toves."
-Jabberwocky.
-Yeah.
This African country has its capital at Monrovia.
-Liberia?
-Yes.
This is a whale's layer of fat.
-Blubber.
-Yes.
It's blubber.
Nice job, Magruder, 500 points.
Team 3, McLean High School.
You're up.
All your answers must contain somewhere the letters B-E-R as in "berry."
In three, two, one.
This is the capital of Switzerland.
-Bern.
-Yes.
On its maiden voyage, the Titanic hit this obstacle.
-Iceberg.
-Yes.
This chemical element has the symbol BE.
-Beryllium.
-Yeah.
This is the major mountain pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
-Khyber.
-Yes.
This room of secrets is in a Harry Potter title.
-Chamber.
-Yes.
He was the second Roman emperor.
-Tiberius.
-Yeah.
This is the vast, cold region of Russia.
-Siberia?
-Yes.
This is the condition in which a bear sleeps through winter.
-Hibernation.
-Yes.
This is the capital of Australia.
-Canberra.
-Yeah.
This word describes the waves of grain in "America the Beautiful."
-Amber.
-Yes!
Way to go, McLean.
You blew through all 10 in 45 seconds with a perfect score of 625 points.
Just awesome.
Well, that was very exciting.
And now the judges are going over the scores.
In just a minute, we'll let you know who's coming back for the playoffs.
And before that, we would really love for you to consider giving back to your community like some of our 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.
-Hi, everyone.
My name is Linda Huang and I'm a current junior at Montgomery Blair High School.
I volunteer with two organizations.
One is Adventist charity group Health Care Hospital where I assist patients and nurses.
And the other one is the Chinese Culture and Community Service Center, where I teach seniors English, help them better adjust to American life and spread Asian heritage and culture by playing my violin and senior homes.
I really hope that everyone can contribute to the community because there are a lot of people who are in need and you can make a difference and also grow professionally and personally.
-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.
-Well, that was a great game and the scores are now official.
First, congratulations to the Maret School from Washington, D.C., Shreyas, Lucas and Aidan, 480 points.
From Magruder High School in Rockville, Maryland, Uday Agastya and Henry: 500 points.
And coming back for the playoffs, last year's championship team, McLean High School from McLean, Virginia, with a perfect score.
Noah, Carter and Andrew, 625 points.
You knocked it out of the park.
Let's hear it for our teams, and let's hear it for you, our incredible viewers -- really happy you could join us today and match wits with our 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 time when BASIS McLean, Falls Church, and Wootton High Schools compete right here on "It's Academic."
I'm Hillary Howard.
See you then.
Bye.
♪♪ -I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved and make a difference.
♪♪