The Bardwell Road Centre Podcast

Quiz master: Nicolas (Belgium)
Topic: GO5 class play a general knowledge trivia quiz

In this show, adult English language students in GO5, a low intermediate level, mixed nationality, general English course at the Bardwell Road Adult Centre, St Clare's, Oxford, play a general knowledge trivia quiz, in multiple-choice format, in the style of a radio or TV quiz show, with a presenter, and two teams of contestants.

We didn't have traditional "buzzers" for contestants to sound, to indicate readiness to answer, so instead we used the classroom hole-punch machine. The strange sound you often hear after the question is read is contestants banging and whacking and sometimes fighting over this small metal device!

You can read the questions and choices below, but to find out the correct answers, you will have to listen to the show!

THANKS...

Huge thanks to Nicolas for volunteering to host this week's show. He adopted the style of quiz master, and did it brilliantly, delaying giving the correct answers to build tension exactly like a professional broadcast quiz master. His warm, humorous style added greatly to the fun atmosphere of the show.

Massive thanks as well to Bridget Doyle, GO5 class second teacher, for preparing the students with language before the show, and especially for designing the format (quiz show) of this week's show, and choosing the content. It was a really good departure from the normal show format, and the participants had a lot of fun.

HOW THE SHOW WAS MADE...

As usual, the show was recorded during Bridget's "3rd hour" class on Geoff's Apple PowerBook computer with the iLife 06 program Garageband 3 (http://www.apple.com/uk/ilife/garageband/). After editing in Garageband, the audio volume was leveled using the program Levelator (www.gigavox.com/levelator), and converted to MP3 using LameBrain (check at www.macupdate.com).

In this show, two little audio "stingers" from Garageband are used to signify correct or incorrect answers. For correct answers, there is a triumphant drum roll (Comedy Drum Roll). For incorrect answers, a regretful whistle (Comedy Whistle). The jingle, again from Garageband, is Roadtrip.

THE QUIZ: GENERAL KNOWLEDGE / TRIVIA QUESTIONS

1. King Louis XIV was the first person to wear:
a) a wig
b) high-heels
c) false teeth
d) a false nose

2. Where does Indian Ink come from?
a) India
b) Pakistan
c) Japan
d) China

3. What is it impossible to do when you sneeze?
a) jump
b) hear
c) smell
d) keep your eyes open

4. In which country do people bump foreheads when they shake hands?
a) Tibet
b) Ireland
c) Afghanistan
d) Thailand

5. What couldn’t King George I do when he became king of England?
a) he couldn’t speak French
b) he couldn’t speak English
c) he couldn’t read
d) he couldn’t write

6. Which sport did the Chinese invent nearly 2,000 years ago?
a) a kind of golf
b) basket ball
c) fishing
d) swimming

7. What were the Oscars made of during the Second World War?
a) silver
b) paper
c) wood
d) plastic

8. Why was the corkscrew invented?
a) to open bottles
b) to pull out teeth
c) to clean your ears
d) to open doors

9. Where were croissants invented?
a) France
b) Scotland
c) Austria
d) Germany

10. What was Winston Churchill before he became Prime Minister of England?
a) a milkman
b) a teacher
c) a dentist
d) a Shakespearean actor

11. What was the yo-yo originally used for?
a) as a weapon in the jungle
b) as a game
c) as a measuring tool
d) to get honey

12. If someone “passes away” they:
a) leave
b) die
c) faint
d) fall over

13. If someone is “feeling blue” they are:
a) unhappy
b) painting the house
c) happy
d) angry

14. When you say that you are “broke” you are:
a) crying
b) you don’t have any money
c) disappointed
d) happy

15. When you are “over the moon” you are:
a) crazy
b) far away
c) on an aeroplane
d) very happy