Georgetown Day, Marshall and Lake Braddock

-Students from Georgetown Day... ...George C. Marshall... ...and Lake Braddock Secondary School 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.

From Georgetown Day school in Washington, DC, Ben, Cameron, and Isaac.

Welcome to "It's Academic," guys.

[ All greeting ] Hey.

From George Marshall High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, Henry, [Indistinct, and [Indistinct].

Great to see you.

-Hello, Hillary.

-Hi.

And from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax County, Sadie, Caleb, Antonio.

Welcome to "It's Academic."

-Hi.

-Hey.

So happy all of you are here.

And now, of course, we're going to jump into the opening round.

Hello.

In this opening round, questions are worth 20 points.

Nothing off for a wrong answer.

Okay, Team One, Georgetown Day.

Ben, Cameron, Isaac, here we go.

"Keep sinew toned."

That's good advice.

And if you study this sentence, you'll find the hidden name of what English scientist who discovered the laws of gravity.

-Conferring -- Newton.

-Conferring -- Newton.

-Final answer, "Isaac Newton."

-"Isaac Newton" is right.

"Criticizing her," "ignoring her," "imitating her."

If you are emulating your sister, you are taking which of these actions?

-Conferring -- imitating.

-Yeah.

-Final answer, "imitating her."

-You've got it.

"To judge a court case," "to attempt."

What same word will fit both these definitions?

-Conferring -- try.

-Try.

-Final answer, "try."

-"Try" is right.

"CAT Scans," "X-rays," "Penicillin."

Here you see three discoveries important in the history of medicine.

Please place them in chronological order, starting with the earliest.

[ Indistinct talking ] -...was the 19th century.

-Okay.

Let's go with that, then.

-Answer?

-Final answer?

-Final answer, "X-rays, Penicillin, CAT Scans."

-Yeah, that's it.

Nice.

"The first duty of society is justice."

These are the words of what man who served society as our first Treasury Secretary.

-Conferring -- Alexander Hamilton.

-Yeah.

Final answer, "Alexander Hamilton."

-Yeah, it's Alexander Hamilton.

And you, Georgetown De, have 200 points.

Way to go.

Now the Team Two, from George C. Marshall High School, in Fairfax County.

Henry, [Indistinct], [Indistinct], here we go.

"A faster number."

If you work fast, you can find here the name of what bone that's also referred to as "the breast bone," -Conferring -- sternum.

-Conferring -- sternum.

-Final answer, "sternum."

-Yeah.

"Omniscient," "omnipotent," "omnivorous."

Which of these words describes a person who is all-powerful?

1, 2, or 3?

Conferring -- I think it's one.

What do you guys think?

-No.

[ Indistinct talking ] -Yeah.

Conferring -- 2.

-Final answer?

-Final answer, "2."

-Yes.

"A writing implement", "an animal enclosure."

What same word fits both these definitions?

-Conferring -- pen.

-Yes, it's "pen."

Yeah.

"3 kilometers," "4,000 feet," "1 mile."

Here are three different measures of distance.

Please arrange them in chronological order, beginning with the shortest.

[ Indistinct talking ] -That sounds good.

-I think it's "feet," "mile," "kilometers."

-Yeah.

-Agreed?

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-Final answer -- "4,00 feet," "1 mile," "3 kilometers."

-Good job.

"A revolution does not march in a straight line."

This is a quote from what Chinese communist leader who led the Red Army on its long march in the 1930, and later became head of China's government.

-Conferring -- Mao.

-Conferring -- Mao.

-Conferring what?

-Yeah, Mao.

-Mao.

Yes, it's Mal.

Very nicely done, Marshall.

You've got 200 points.

Let's turn it over to Team Three, from Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax County.

Sadie, Caleb, Antonio, here is your first question.

"A minotaur I clean."

Now, this would be a dangerous job, so see if you can find here what term for a chamber of the heart that adjoins a ventricle.

-Conferring.

Is it "auric"?

-Answer?

-Okay, we're gonna trust your judgment.

-Okay.

Final answer -- "auric."

-It's "auricle."

I don't think the judges will take that, though.

I can ask them.

Nope.

Sorry.

"Perceptive," "athletic," "foolish."

Which of these adjectives is the best synonym for the word "astute"?

-conferring -- perceptive.

-I'd say so.

-Yeah.

Final answer -- "perceptive."

Yeah, it is perceptive.

-"It spans a river," "a card game."

Here you have two different definitions.

for what same word.

-Conferring -- bridge.

-Oh.

I like that.

Yeah.

Final answer -- "bridge."

-Yes, it's "bridge."

"Antoine Lavoisier," "Nicolas Copernicus," "Peter Higgs."

Here are three scientists who never met, as they lived in different centuries.

Please arrange them chronologically.

Conferring.

Okay, I think Copernicus is probably first.

I don't know Lavoisier, so I'd maybe do him after, and then Higgs.

-I guess.

-Does that sound like a good idea?

-Sure.

-Okay.

Final answer, we're going to do Copernicus, then Lavoisier, and then Higgs.

-Well done.

"Herbs are the friend of physicians."

This was the medical opinion of what great Frankish king crowned emperor by the Pope in 800 A.D.. -Conferring.

That's gonna be Charlemagne, right?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Final answer -- "Charlemagne."

-Yes, it is Charlemagne.

Nicely done, Lake Braddock.

You've got 180 points.

And that's the end of the opening round.

The Picture Perfect round is next round.

-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.

-Now for the Picture Perfect round.

In this round, as you know, answers are worth 20 points up or down.

10 points off if you pass.

Georgetown Day, you're up first.

Ben, Cameron, Isaac, here we go.

This Kandinsky painting was completed in what year -- one year before the First World War began in Europe.

-Conferring -- 1913.

-Yeah.

-Final answer -- "1913."

-Correctamundo.

-Solve this set of equations for X.

-All right.

I'm pretty sure X is equal to 2.

Final answer -- "X equals 2."

-Very good.

Here's your third question.

"This ornate chalice was commissioned in 1791 by what Russian empress, usually referred to as 'the Great.'"

-Conferring -- this is Catherine.

Catherine the Great.

-Final answer -- "Catherine."

-"Catherine the Great" is right.

You got them all right, Georgetown Day.

Well done.

260 points.

All right, George Marshall, you're up.

[Indistinct], Henry, [Indistinct], here's your first clue.

"It wasn't until 1899 that Americans navigated this section of what river that separates much of Texas from Mexico."

[ Indistinct talking ] -Final answer -- "Rio Grande."

-You've got it.

What is the value of X in this proportion?

[ Indistinct talking ] -4x equals 60, and then that's 15.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

Final answer -- "15."

-"15" is right.

"Schoenberg Palace was built in 1696 as a summer residence for members of what Austrian royal dynasty?"

-Conferring -- Habsburg.

-I agree.

Final answer -- "Habsburg."

-"Habsburg" is it Well done, guys.

260 points.

Time for Team Three, from Lake Braddock Secondary School.

Sadie, Caleb, Antonio, here we go.

"This is a painting by John Constable, who was born in what year that marked the signing of the Declaration of Independence?"

-Conferring -- 1776.

-Conferring -- 1776.

-Yeah.

-Final answer -- "1776."

-Yeah, it was 1776.

"Taking positive roots, evaluate this expression, giving your answer as a positive integer."

[ Indistinct talking ] -"1."

-What was the answer?

-I agree with Antonio.

1/2 plus 1/2, which is 1.

-Okay.

Final answer -- "1."

-Yes.

"This British soldier fought in what South African war with the Afrikaners, that lasted from 1899 until 1902?"

[ Indistinct talking ] -What were you saying?

-B-o-e-r.

The Boer War.

-"Boer War"?

Okay.

Final answer, what Antonio said.

-That is correct.

It was the Boer War.

Nice job, Lake Braddock Secondary.

240 points.

And that is it for the Picture Perfect round.

In just a minute, we'll dive into the Packet Round.

But first, here are something we think is interesting.

-Hello.

I'm David Rubenstein.

Did you know Mexican war hero Zachary Taylor did not attend the Whig convention where he was nominated for president?

Since Taylor wasn't there, the Whigs sent him a letter notifying him of his nomination.

But the letter arrived with postage due, so Taylor refused to accept it.

He still became our 12th president.

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, 25 point bonus.

Okay, Team One, Georgetown Day.

Ben, Cameron, Isaac, here we go.

"A collector paid almost $80,000 for an unsigned letter to George Washington from what man, who was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence?"

-Conferring -- Hancock?

-Hancock?

-Yeah.

-The big signature.

-Final answer -- "John Hancock."

-"John Hancock."

You're right.

"Psychiatric help wasn't available in the 16th century when Philip the Fair of Flanders married Johanna the Mad of what largest Iberian country?"

-That would be -- -Conferring -- Spain.

-Final answer -- "Spain."

-It is "Spain."

Here's your science question.

"Constant zero increasing."

For a body in static equilibrium, the vector sum of all the external forces acting on the body is which of these?

-I think "zero."

-Conferring -- "constant."

No, it's "constant," I think.

-I'm leaning towards -- I'm leaning towards "constant."

-I'm not sure.

I'm not sure, but I think it's "constant."

But in equilibrium, it's "zero."

All right.

Let's go with that, then.

-You sure about that?

-Answer please.

-Final answer -- "zero."

-Ooh, I'm so happy you said "zero."

"To promote the sale of pasta in the U.S., a retail publication called 'the Macaroni Journal' stated that pasta had been brought to Italy from China by what 13th century traveler?"

-Marco Polo.

-Conferring.

-Yes, I believe it's Marco Polo.

-Yeah.

-Final answer -- "Marco Polo."

-Yes, it was.

That's what they said.

"What American-born 20th century poet was not wasting his time when he wrote 'The Wasteland,' the poem that made him famous."

-Conferring.

This is T.S.

Eliot.

-All right.

-Sure.

Final answer -- "T.S.

Eliot."

-Yes, it was T.S.

Eliot.

Here's your math question.

"What is the supplement of this angle?"

All right, so it's 180 minus 144.

-Conferring.

[ Indistinct talking ] -It's 360.

-Is it 360?

Supplement?

-No.

Supplement is 180.

-Is 180.

[ Indistinct talking ] -Very good.

It's 36 degrees.

"What British leader was admired as a brilliant Finance Minister, but later denounced as the Prime Minister who signed the Munich pact with Hitler in 1938?"

-Conferring.

This would be Neville Chamberlain.

[ Indistinct talking ] -It is "Neville Chamberlain."

Georgetown Day, fabulous.

You got yourself a 25 point bonus and 425 points.

Henry, [Indistinct], [Indistinct], here we go.

"It was while visiting a Georgia plantation that Eli Whitney designed.

what machine that greatly influenced the economy of the South?"

-Conferring -- cotton gin.

-Yeah.

-It's the cotton gin.

Final answer -- "cotton gin."

-You're right.

"To celebrate the birthday of the United States, you might visit what city, where the Declaration of Independence was signed?"

-Conferring -- Philadelphia.

Final answer -- "Philadelphia."

-Yep.

Here's your science question.

"Chlorine.

Methane.

Ozone.

Which of these?, a marsh gas, is the principal component of natural gas?"

-Conferring -- methane.

-Yeah, "methane" sounds right.

-Final answer -- "methane."

-Yep.

You got it again.

"In an Edwin Arlington Robinson poem, Miniver Cheevy longs for the days when what Renaissance family ruled Florence, Italy?"

-Conferring.

-Conferring -- Medici.

-[Indistinct].

-Yeah.

Yeah.

I'm confident.

-Is that your final answer?

-Final answer -- "Medici."

-Good job.

"When writing a limerick, even the most ambitious poet must limit himself to how many lines of verse, standard for a limerick."

-Conferring.

-Five?

-I think it was, like -- limericks might be, like, seven, 11, or 13.

That's a haiku, I think.

-No, there's five total lines in a limerick.

[ Indistinct talking ] -Of you're sure, yeah.

-Yeah.

Final answer -- "five."

-Very good.

Here's your math question.

"Evaluate this expression, giving your answer as an integer."

-All right, so, conferring.

This is just 101 times 1.

So, it's 101.

-Yep.

-Yeah.

-"101" is right.

"What G-initialed father of modern rocketry got his start in scientific experiments at age 5, when he tried to jump higher by holding a battery in his hands."

-Any ideas?

-I don't know.

-[Indistinct]?

-Answer?

-Any guesses?

-Two...one.

The answer was "Goddard" -- "Robert Goddard."

Hey, George Marshall, you did a great job in that round.

380 points.

Sadie, Caleb, Antonio, Here's your first question.

"An astronomer might enjoy Mozart's Symphony number 41 because this symphony shares its name with what largest planet?"

-That's going to be -- conferring -- Jupiter.

-Jupiter.

-Yep.

-Okay.

Final answer -- "Jupiter."

-Yep.

You got it.

"The Cherokee language was developed by Sequoia.

It had what number of characters, equal to fourscore and five?"

-Conferring.

-Conferring -- that's 85.

-Yeah.

-Final answer -- "85."

Yeah, that's it.

Here's your science question.

"Pediment, magma, epifauna.

The heated semi-solid matter under the Earth's crust and mantle is known as which of these?"

-Conferring -- magma.

-Magma.

-Final answer -- "magma.

: -Yes.

"In 1937, an aircraft carrier, a battleship, and four destroyers searched unsuccessfully for what woman aviator who had disappeared while flying over the Pacific?"

[ Indistinct talking ] -Final answer -- "Amelia Earhart."

-Still missing.

Amelia Earhart.

"'Sleeping Booze' is not an alcoholic drink, but an obscure work by what 19th century French author who wrote 'Les Miserables'?"

[ Indistinct talking ] -Hugo.

-Final answer -- "Victor Hugo."

-Nicely done.

Here's your math question.

"What is the greatest common divisor of these three numbers?"

-Conferring.

Would it be 6?

-[Indistinct] 6.

-6.

-Final answer -- "6."

-Correct.

"In 1948, Time Magazine's Man of the Year was what army general who became secretary of state, and gave his name to a European recovery plan?"

[ Indistinct talking ] -Oh, Marshall.

Final answer -- "Marshall."

-Oh, my gosh, Lake Braddock, you nailed it.

25 point bonus.

Fabulous job.

405 points.

And that's the Packet Round.

Next, we are turning up the temperature as the clock ticks down.

So, we have reached the Lightning Round.

This is very exciting.

In this round, you've got 45 seconds to answer up to 10 questions.

They're worth 20 points up or down.

No penalty if you pass, Team One, Georgetown Day, are you ready to play with lightning?

Yeah?

Okay.

Here we go.

All your answers are words or names with a double R somewhere.

That's two R's side by side.

In three, two, one.

"This long orange vegetable is a source of vitamin A."

-"Carrot."

-Yes.

"This sea separates Europe from Africa."

-"Mediterranean."

-Yes.

"This is a long, ferocious fish found in tropical waters."

-"Piranha."

-Yes.

"Russian tsar Ivan IV is usually referred to by this adjective."

-"Terrible."

-Yes.

-This orchard titles a Chekhov play."

-Pass.

-"Cherry."

"Samuel Adams helped set up these letter-writing committees."

-Pass.

-"Correspondence."

"This 19th century lithographer partnered with Ives."

-Pass.

-"Currier."

"Goldilocks ate this cereal at the Three Bears' house."

-"Porridge."

-Yeah.

[ Buzzer ] So, the question was "This surname was shared by our ninth and 23rd presidents."

And the answer was "Harrison."

Georgetown Day, fabulous job.

525 points.

All right, time to play with lightning, George Marshall High School.

Henry, [Indistinct], [Indistinct], here we go.

All your answers must contain a double N somewhere.

That's an N as in "nanny."

In three, two, one.

"This small animal is associated with Easter."

-"Bunny."

-Yes.

"Body of water separates England from France."

-"English Channel."

-Yes.

"This adjective describes a substance containing tin."

-Pass.

-"Stannic."

"This man's wake titles the James Joyce novel."

-Pass.

-"Finnegan."

"This is the largest city in Minnesota."

-"Monneapolis."

-Yes.

"This phylum includes segmented worms."

-"Annelids."

-Yes.

"This English poet wrote 'Idols of the King.'"

-Pass.

-"Tennyson."

"Every year, this company puts out a book of world records."

-"Guinness."

-Yes.

"This is the oldest city in Georgia."

[ Buzzer ] -"Savannah"?

Yeah, the answer is "Savannah," but it was after the buzzer.

No matter.

Marshall, 480 points.

Good job.

Lake Braddock, your turn for the Lightning Round.

Here we go Sadie, Caleb, and Antonio.

All answers here are words with a double L, as in "wall."

In three, two, one.

"This is one of the three primary colors."

-"Yellow."

-Yes.

"This animal is the sign of a rising stock market."

-"Bull."

-Yes.

-"This poet wrote 'The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.'"

-"Longfellow."

-Yes.

-"This is another word for stomach or abdomen."

-Pass.

-"Belly."

"This is a large feather once used as a pen."

-"Quill."

-Yes.

"Annie Sullivan taught this deaf child to speak and read."

-"Helen Keller."

-Yeah.

"This white sugary confection is used in s'mores."

-"Marshmallow."

-Yeah.

"General Pershing pursued this Mexican revolutionary."

-Pass.

-"Pancho Villa."

"Yo-Yo Ma plays this string instrument."

-"Cello."

-Yes.

[ Buzzer ] And there's the buzzer.

I'll finish the question.

"This mythical sea monster was across a straight from Charybdis."

The answer was "Scylla."

You know what, Lake Braddock?

You didn't need that last question, because you finish with a wonderful score of 545 points.

All right.

The judges are now going over the scores, and in just a minute, we will let you know who's coming back for the playoffs.

But before that, we would really like you to consider giving back to your community, like so many of these students do.

-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.

My name is Juliet Morrow.

And I go to Herndon High School.

I love volunteering because I love to see the impact I have on others.

Some of the activities I do include volunteering in my dance studio, as well as doing food and toy drives, and activities through my honors societies.

My favorite activity has to be volunteering with my local state senator.

I work in constituent services.

And being able to have others' voices be heard is very fulfilling to me.

-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 George C. Marshall High School, from Fairfax County.

Henry, [Indistinct], and [Indistinct], 480 points.

And congratulations to Georgetown Day School from Washington DC.

Ben, Cameron, and Isaac getting that 25 point bonus for an impressive score of 525 points.

And coming back for the playoffs, Lake Braddock Secondary School, also from Fairfax County.

Sadie, Caleb, Antonio, 545 points.

Way to go.

Let's hear it for our incredible teams.

And as we always say to you, our incredible viewers, really happy you could join us today, and match wits with 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 time, when Magruder, Morris, and McLane high schools compete on "It's Academic."

I'm Hillary Howard.

See you then.

Bye-bye.

♪♪ -I'm David Rubenstein, reminding you to read, learn, get involved, and make a difference.