Random Questions
2007 ACF Nationals - Packet by Illinois A and Kentucky - #1 [report this tossup]
This election had its share of oddities, such as the Vice-Presidential electoral votes which went to two men who were apparently not even running, with William Wilkins receiving 30 votes from Pennsylvania and economist Henry Lee receiving 11 from South Carolina. South Carolina had given these votes to Lee just as they would give their presidential votes to non-candidate John Floyd due to his opposition to tariffs, but most of the rest of the south went Democratic save for the Florida and Arkansas territories which like Kentucky went for the Republican candidate. In the end these could not prevent the re-election of the incumbent any more than could the electoral votes of Vermont, which went to the third-party candidate selected in the very first nominating caucus held by the Anti-Masonic party. FTP, name this election in which William Wirt and Henry Clay were roundly defeated by Andrew Jackson.
Answer: Election of 1832
2009 ACF Nationals - Packet by Brandeis
- #21 [report this tossup]
The title character of one of this man's operas sings the "Shadow Song" while chasing her pet goat, and he wrote an aria for soprano in which the insane Catherine is accompanied by Peter the Great on flute, "La, la, la, air chéri." This composer of Dinorah saw his early opera Jephtha flop, and Gaetano Rossi wrote the libretto to one of his works in which Armando rescues the sultan from Osmino and which includes a castrato role, Il crociato in Egitto. This composer of Margaret of Anjou also collaborated with Rossi on an opera in which the title characters both love Teobaldo, Romilda and Costanza. In one of this man's operas, an explosion kills the titular character, John de Leyden, and he wrote another in which Bertram offers the title character a magic bough and takes him to frolic with dead nuns, Robert le Diable. For 10 points, identify this composer of Les Huguenots and L'Africaine.
Answer: Giacomo Meyerbeer
2010 ACF Regionals - Packet by Minnesota B, Dartmouth A, and Miami C - #2 [report this tossup]
One argument during this event concerned whether the length of a word on a ten-foot-long sign measured one and a half feet long or merely one foot long. The central figure of this event had planned to work as a Ford salesman during the time of this event, and told reporter William Hutchinson that "I was doing something else" the day he was alleged to have violated the Butler Act. H.L. Mencken claimed that "we killed the son of a bitch" upon learning of William Jennings Bryan's death following this event, which he presumed was due to the constant harassment from defense attorney Clarence Darrow. For 10 points, name this 1925 case in which a Dayton, Tennessee schoolteacher was accused of teaching evolution.
Answer: Scopes Monkey Trial [or State of Tennessee v. Scopes; or Scopes v. State of Tennessee]