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(drum roll playing) (whistle blaring) (percussive music) - Welcome to this season of WVIA Scholastic Scrimmage.

I'm your host, Paul Lazar.

Scholastic Scrimmage is a question and answer competition featuring high school students from across the WVIA viewing area.

In each program, two schools will compete in a single-elimination tournament for a chance to win $1,000, $3,000, or $5,000.

Tonight's match features Benton versus Hughesville.

Representing Benton are Gabe Vogt, Elizabeth Lyons, Isabel Sorber, and Landon Baker.

Their advisor is Jennifer Posey.

Representing Hughesville are Carly Sones, Olivia Bitler, Michael Swales, and Corbin Kirk.

Their alternate is Olivia Kyle, and their advisor is Tara Holdron.

Scholastic Scrimmage is a game of rapid recall of factual information, so let's take a moment and review the rules.

The first team to buzz in will have an opportunity to answer a toss-up question.

Correct answers to these questions are awarded 10 points, and that team will then receive a five-point bonus question.

If that toss-up answer is incorrect, no points will be deducted, but the question will then rebound to the other team.

If the other team answers correctly, they'll be given the toss-up points, but will not receive a bonus question.

(graphics whooshing) Well, let's go ahead and get the game started with this toss-up question.

"Catriona" was the sequel to what novel in which Alan Breck Stewart aids young abductee David Balfour, an adventure work by Robert Lewis Stevenson?

(bell dings) That was "Kidnapped."

Okay, here's our next toss-up question.

What California city, where the UN charter was signed, has a Haight-Ashbury district that was popular with hippies and was hit by a 1905 earthquake.

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- San Francisco.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

What word comes before lunch in the title of a William S. Burrows novel, and is paired with the dead in a World War II novel by Norman Mailer?

(bell dings) That word is naked.

Okay, here's our next toss-up.

What team, whose stars include Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun made a trade in 2025 for Kevin Durant and is based in the most populous city in Texas.

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- The Cowboys.

- [Paul] Is incorrect, rebound to Benton.

(bell dings) - Dave.

- Dallas.

- Nope.

This was the Houston Rockets, the Houston Rockets.

Okay, here's our next toss-up.

What story, whose narrator writes a letter to Miss Kinnian, is a Daniel Keyes work about a man whose intelligence is increased, as is a mouse's?

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- "Flowers for Algernon."

- Is correct, and here comes your bonus question.

What simple machine consists of a block with a triangular cross section which can be hammered into an object to split the object in two?

(bell dings) - Wedge.

- Wedge is correct for your bonus points, Benton.

Let's go now to another toss-up.

What shapes are used in Simpson's Rule to approximate integrals are conic sections with eccentricity one and are graphs of quadratic equations?

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Parabola.

- Is correct, and here comes your bonus now.

The aria "Vissi d'Arte" is in what Giacomo Puccini opera whose title woman leaps from a castle after her lover, Cavaradossi, is executed?

(bell dings) That is "Tosca."

Okay, here's our next toss-up.

What official, whose mother called him an abuser of women in 2018, renamed Fort Liberty to Fort Bragg in 2025 after becoming Secretary of Defense?

(bell dings) Corbin, Hughesville.

- Hegseth.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

What author included a number of comics in his novel about a teenage cartoonist known as Junior, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian."

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That is Sherman Alexie.

Okay, let's go on now to another toss-up question.

What ethnic group, whose ataman Yemelyan Pugachev led a 1773 rebellion, self ruled as hosts in Imperial Russia in exchange for their military service?

(bell dings) Corbin, Hughesville.

- Hessians.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Benton.

(bell dings) (bell dings) That was the Cossacks.

And that sound that you heard signals the end of the first quarter, and it's now time for the lightning round.

In this segment, each team will have an opportunity to answer as many of the 10 rapid fire questions as they can in one minute.

Benton has won the coin toss and will pick first.

Your categories are the judgment of Paris or B-A-N words.

(bell dings) - B-A-N words.

- B-A-N words it is, and your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Give these words that begin with consecutive letters B-A-N.

Descend into exile.

(bell dings) - Ban.

- [Paul] Banished, friendly amusing chatter between two people.

(bell dings) - Banter.

- [Paul] Yes.

A lavish celebratory feast.

(bell dings) - Banquet.

- [Paul] Yes, bluegrass string instrument with a circular body.

(bell dings) - Banjo.

- Yes.

A large picture advertisement on a webpage.

(bell dings) - Banner.

- [Paul] Yes, food fried and served as Pisang goreng in Indonesia.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] That's a banana.

A handrail for a set of stairs.

(bell dings) - Banister.

- Yes.

A belt of bullets or other ammunition.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Bandolier, British term for a sausage, often proceeding and mash.

(bell dings) - Banger.

- [Paul] Yes.

Completely unoriginal and boring.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That is banal.

Okay Benton, you did a great job in that lightning round.

Hughesville.

We're coming over to you.

Your remaining category will be the judgment of Paris.

And once again, your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Answer the following about the judgment of Paris from Greek mythology.

Magical fruit that Paris awarded.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Apple.

10 year conflict caused by the judgment.

You can pass.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- Trojan War.

Zeus's wife who took part, but lost.

(bell dings) - Hera.

- Yes.

The other spurned goddess, whose symbol is an owl.

(bell dings) - Athena.

- [Paul] Yes.

The winning goddess.

(bell dings) - Artemis.

- Knight.

- [Paul] Aphrodite.

Woman Paris abducted after his decision.

(bell dings) - Hera, no.

- [Paul] Helen of Troy, goddess of discord who incited the three goddess's jealousy.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That's Eris, nymph at whose wedding the initial incident occurred.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Thetus.

The groom at the wedding.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Peleus, the bride and groom's son, who eventually slayed Hector.

(bell dings) Okay, that was Achilles.

All right, that's going to do it for the first lightning round.

And after that, we have Benton in the lead over Hughesville, 65 to 20, as we begin the second quarter now with this toss-up question.

What city, whose Centennial Park contains a replica of the Parthenon, hosts country music acts at the Grand Ole Opry?

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Nashville.

- Is correct, and your bonus now.

In 1881, Charles Guiteau yelled, "I am the stalwart of stalwarts," after shooting and mortally wounding what man in Washington, D.C.?

(bell dings) That was James Garfield.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What molecules, normally composed of heavy chains and light chains, have variable regions that bind to specific antigens to trigger an immune response?

(bell dings) Those are antibodies.

Okay, let's go to another toss-up question.

What architect, who designed internal scaffolds for Frederic Auguste Bartholdi's "Statue of Liberty," named some metal tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris?

(bell dings) Carly, Hughesville.

- Eiffel.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus.

What most active volcano on the big island of Hawaii has been erupting sporadically since December 2024?

(contestants whispering) (bell dings) That is Kilauea.

Okay, here's our next toss-up question.

What country, which Yakubu Gowen led into a war against the secessionist Biafra region, was a former British colony governing Igbo and Hausa peoples?

(bell dings) That country was Nigeria.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What country is the setting of the rural trilogy of plays by Generation of '27 author Federico Garcia Lorca who was killed in the 1930s civil war?

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Italy.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Hughesville.

(bell dings) - Spain.

- Spain is correct for your rebound points, Hughesville, as we turn now to our next toss-up question.

What pitch whose concert pitch is written as a C for tenor sax and clarinet is- (bell dings) Corbin, Hughesville.

- B flat.

- Is correct, and your bonus question.

In September 2025, what 81-year-old CEO of Oracle briefly overtook Elon Musk as the wealthiest person in the world?

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That is Larry Ellison.

Okay, here's our next toss-up question.

What protein that has a porphyrin ring in each of its four subunits has a 200-fold higher affinity for carbon monoxide than for oxygen in the blood?

(bell dings) That is hemoglobin.

Okay, here's our next toss-up question.

What general type of object did Erasmus mistranslate the Greek word pithos to when referring to the container of sorrows opened by Pandora?

(bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Box.

- Is correct, and your bonus now.

What lofty name, which means previously a workhouse, is given to the steed who carries the title character of Miguel de Cervantes novel "Don Quixote"?

(bell dings) - Stallion.

- No, this was Rocinante.

And that sound that you heard signals the end of the first half and we're now going to give our contestants a little bit of a break, and the opportunity for those of you at home to get to know them a little better.

And we'll start with the students from Benton.

And Gabe, I'll come to you first.

Tell me what your favorite subject is in school and why.

- I enjoy programming, especially in Java and Python, because I find computer programming fascinating.

- [Paul] Absolutely, it is.

Thanks, Gabe.

Elizabeth?

- Chemistry.

I just think that the reactions are cool.

- Thank you, Elizabeth.

Isabel?

- Probably math because I think it's what I'm the best at.

- Thanks, Isabel.

Landon?

- I enjoy math as well because I have an interest in actuary science.

- All right, thank you very much, Benton, and good luck the rest of the way.

Hughesville, it's over to you.

And Carly, tell us what your favorite subject is in school and why.

- I'd say physics because it's very in depth and very interesting.

- [Paul] Thank you, Carly.

Olivia?

- Probably math, I just find it fun.

- [Paul] Thanks, Olivia.

Michael?

- I love math, honestly, it's just been something I've been really interested in throughout my entire life, and I've just been doing a lot of math on my own and in school.

- [Paul] Thanks, Michael.

Corbin?

- I also enjoy math, and I'm also interested in actuarial science.

- That's excellent, a lot of smart kids here today, guys.

It's gonna be a great game.

It was very nice to meet all of you and see you again here in the studio.

We're gonna go ahead now and begin the third quarter with this toss-up question.

What novel, in which Eva St.

Clare gives away locks of her hair before dying, depicts plantation owner Simon Legree and was by Harriet Beecher Stowe?

(bell dings) Corbin, Hughesville.

- "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

- Is correct, and here's your bonus.

During a 1521 Diet in what city on the Rhine River was Martin Luther called before Emperor Charles V to recant his Protestant views?

(bell dings) - Alexandria.

- No, this was Worms, Worms.

All right, our next toss-up question.

What process, which occurs daily and vertically in zooplankton, is a seasonal long distance movement by animals, such as birds flying- (bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Migration.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus, and get out your pencils and your papers.

Before any moves have been made at the start of a game of chess, how many pawns are on black squares on a chess board?

(bell dings) Gabe.

- Eight.

- Is correct for your bonus points, Benton.

Let's go now to another toss-up question.

What structures, whose surviving examples include one named for Valens in Istanbul and the Pont du Gard, used gravity to supply water to Roman cities.

(bell dings) Carly, Hughesville.

- Aqueduct.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

In linguistics, what term for a collection of texts intended to give a representative sample of sources originates from the Latin word for body?

(bell dings) That is corpus.

Okay, here's our next toss-up.

What poet imagined a mute and glorious Milton in a poem beginning, "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day," his "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard."

(bell dings) That poet was Thomas Gray.

Here's our next toss-up question.

In September 2025, Donald Trump claimed he was negotiating with what nation to send troops to Bagram Airbase, which was seized in 2021 by the Taliban.

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- Afghanistan.

- Is correct, and here comes your bonus.

What South American country's World War II Expeditionary Force, nicknamed the Smoking Snakes, was sent by Getulio Vargas's Estado Novo regime?

(bell dings) - Argentina.

- No, that country is Brazil.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What man, who warned about the dangers of factions in Federalist Number 10- (bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- Madison.

- Is correct, and here's your bonus question.

What large gap or division between the bright A and B rings of Saturn was discovered in 1675 by its Italian namesake?

(bell dings) - Giacometti.

- No, this was Casini, the Cassini division.

All right, here's your next toss-up, and get out those pencils and papers everybody.

What is the largest integer that is both a power of three and less than 100, given the answer is also a perfect square?

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- 30, 81.

- Is incorrect, we have to accept the first answer.

(bell dings) Rebound to Landon.

- 81.

- 81 is correct for your rebound points, Benton.

Well, that sound that you heard signals the end of the third quarter and another lightning round.

This time Hughesville will pick first.

Your categories are Christian holidays or astrology.

- Christian holidays.

- Okay.

(bell dings) Christian holidays.

- Christian holidays it is.

And your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Name these holidays in Christianity.

Celebrates the birth of Jesus (bell dings) - Christmas.

- Yes.

Sunday That commemorates Jesus's resurrection.

(bell dings) - Easter.

- [Paul] Yes.

March 17th, feast day of the patron Saint of Ireland.

(bell dings) - St.

Patrick's Day.

- [Paul] Yes.

Remembers Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem.

(bell dings) - Palm Sunday.

- [Paul] Yes.

First day of Lent.

You can pass.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Ash Wednesday.

Commemorates the day of Jesus's crucifixion.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- Good Friday.

Feast celebrating Jesus's entry into Heaven.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] Ascension, names an evangelical denomination whose members spoke in tongues during the Azuza Street Revival.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- Pentecost.

Often celebrated on November 1st.

(bell dings) That was All Saints Day.

Okay, Hughesville, that's gonna wrap up your second lightning round.

Benton, it's over to you, and your remaining category will be astrology.

And once again, your time begins when I finish reading the first question.

Answer the following about astrology.

Circle of constellations broken into 12 signs.

(bell dings) - Zodiacs.

- [Paul] Yes.

Animals that represent Pisces.

(bell dings) - Fish.

- [Paul] Yes.

Daily astrological interpretation.

(bell dings) - Horoscope.

- [Paul] Yes.

Only star sign that is an inanimate object.

- Pass.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- Libra.

Planet designated by the female symbol.

(bell dings) - Venus.

- [Paul] Yes.

Star sign of a person born on January 1st.

(bell dings) - Capricorn.

- Yes.

Classical element whose signs include Aries and Leo.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- [Paul] That's fire.

The time very close to the boundary between signs.

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That's cusp, Gemini is the third of these 12 divisions of the sky.

(bell dings) - Zodiacs.

- [Paul] House, sign that joins star and moon in the big three signs.

(bell dings) - Sun.

- That is the rising sign.

Okay, that's going to do it for the lightning round.

And after that, we have Benton in the lead over Hughesville, 135 to 110.

It's a close game, anything can happen.

We'll now go ahead and begin the last segment of the game with this toss-up question.

What technology, used to harden tools such as the Clacton spear, is combined with slashing to clear land for agriculture and is used for cooking- (bell dings) Landon, Benton.

- Scythe.

- I'm sorry?

- Scythe.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Hughesville.

(bell dings).

- Dicing.

- No, fire or flames.

All right, here's our next toss-up.

What city, whose Independence Square was the center of the Maidan Uprising, lies along the Dnieper River and is the capital of Ukraine?

(bell dings) - Kiev.

- Michael, Hughesville.

- Kiev.

- Is correct, and your bonus.

What English poet described the wimpling wing of a falcon in "The Windhover" and used sprung rhythm to praise dappled things in his poem "Pied Beauty."

(bell dings) - Pass.

- That's Gerard Manley Hopkins.

Here's our next toss-up.

What battle, which Susanna Dickinson survived, ended when forces led by William Travis were overrun in 1836 at a mission they were defending in Texas?

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- The battle of the Alamo.

- Is correct, and your bonus now.

What West African country, led by Ibrahim Traore, pays the Wagner group to fight against militants in cities like Ouagadougou.

(bell dings) - Libya.

- No, this was Burkino Faso.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What novel, in which a journey to elsewhere is undertaken to save the infant Gabriel, was written by Lois Lowry about- (bell dings) Isabel, Benton.

- "The Giver."

- Is correct, and your bonus.

What English father of immunology used cowpox from Sarah Nelmes to immunize James Phipps in a pioneering act of smallpox vaccination?

(bell dings) That was Edward Jenner.

Okay, here comes our next toss-up.

What philosopher discussed the history of Rome in his "Discourses on Livy," and wrote, "It is better to be feared than loved as a ruler," in "The Prince."

(bell dings) That is Machiavelli.

Here's our next toss-up question.

A high Reynolds number predicts what condition in which a fluid's velocity changes rapidly, a chaotic form of flow that can cause a bumpy flight?

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- Turbulence.

Turbulence.

- Is correct, and your bonus.

The daughters of illustrator Fred Bernard appear in "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose," a painting by what artist of the scandalous "Portrait of Madame X."

- Pass.

(bell dings) - Corbin.

- Pass.

Pass.

- That is John Sargent.

Here's our next toss-up question.

What industry, whose waste products caused the Aberfan disaster, went on a strike led by Arthur Scargill against Margaret Thatcher's government.

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

- The oil industry.

- Is incorrect.

Rebound to Benton.

(bell dings) That's coal mining.

All right, here comes our next toss-up question.

What singer, who described how you color and fracture the light in "Sapphire," also released "Azizam" in 2025, 4 years after his 2021 hit "Bad Habits."

(bell dings) Michael, Hughesville.

(bell dings) I need an answer.

- I don't have it.

- All right, rebound to Benton.

(bell dings) - Ed Sheeran.

- Ed Sheeran is correct for your rebound points, Benton.

And wow, what a game, that's the end of it.

And our winner tonight is Benton over Hughesville in a tight one, 155 to 140.

(exciting music) Congratulations Benton, you are going to be moving on, and we'll see you next time with another round of Scholastic Scrimmage.

I'm your host Paul Lazar, and thank you for watching.

(percussive music) - [Narrator] WVIA Scholastic scrimmage was made possible in part by... (bright orchestral music) - I am building my future, literally, at Luzerne County Community College.

(bright orchestral music) - We don't just talk about it, we build it.

- Your blueprints start here at Luzerne County Community College.

Are you a high school senior or a college student trying to further your education?

The Luzerne Foundation can help.

The Luzerne Foundation is a northeastern Pennsylvania based community nonprofit that provides over 100 scholarships a year to students.

The Luzerne Foundation, we are here for good.

- Why did I choose to attend Binghamton University here in New York?

Let's take a look.

With amazing professors, internship opportunities, clubs, organizations, and a D1 athletics program, they actually set you up for what's next.

Binghamton University equals opportunity.