>> Join us tonight as Munson High School goes up against Chicopee High School, the historic 64th season of Western New England's award winning high school quiz show continues tonight as schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA, a diverse union of education workers committed to the public schools and colleges our communities deserve.

>> You can see the difference from the first couple of minutes that you walk onto this campus.

You realize that it's not just a campus.

It's a community.

It's a family.

>> Good evening and welcome to.

As schools match wits coming to you from the campus of Westfield State University.

I'm your host, Beth Ward, once again.

High schools from throughout our region are going head to head in qualifying matches to see who can score enough points to finish in the top eight and compete in this season's championship tournament.

In tonight's matchup, we have Munson High School going up against Chicopee High School.

Let's take a second to meet the teams, starting with Chicopee High School, coached by Lenny Rondeau and Chris Martin.

>> Hi.

My name is Arianna Reid and I'm a sophomore at Chicopee High School.

>> Hello.

My name is Gabriel Santiago.

I'm a senior in Chicopee High School.

>> And for Munson High School coached by Lynn Hope.

>> Hi.

My name is Riley Shevinsky and I'm a sophomore at Munson High School.

>> Hi.

My name is Samuel Hudak.

I am a sophomore from Munson High School.

>> Hi.

My name is Luella Watson.

I'm a sophomore at Munson High School.

Hi.

My name is Eliana Gorno, and I'm a freshman from Munson High School.

>> Taking a look at our top eight right now.

Belchertown on top with 425.

But the score to beat 280.

So let's see what happens tonight.

As we do each match, we start off with the challenge round.

Both teams will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for ten points each.

Good luck to both teams.

Let's begin with the first question of the evening.

Complete the following relationship.

Montpelier is to Vermont as what capital city is to Maine?

Chicopee.

>> Augusta.

>> Yes, Augusta is correct.

On December 6th, 1865, the 13th amendment to the US Constitution was ratified.

Abolishing what?

Munson.

>> Slavery?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

In the Tim Burton 2024 horror comedy movie Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice.

What actor played the lead role of Beetlejuice?

Chicopee.

>> Um.

Michael Keaton.

>> Yes.

Michael Keaton is right.

In which of the following parts of the human body will you find the trapezium bone?

Is it the hand, foot or shoulder?

Chicopee.

>> Shoulder.

>> I'm sorry, that is incorrect, but Munson High School.

That gives you the chance to answer the question.

>> Hand.

>> Yes.

Hand is correct.

On April 15th, 2023, after 50 years in service, which European country closed its last nuclear power plants?

Was it Spain, Germany or Finland?

Chicopee.

>> Spain.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

All right.

Munson High School, can you answer the question?

>> Germany.

>> Germany?

Yes.

That's right.

Let's move on and try this one.

And what J.D.

Salinger novel does Holden Caulfield get expelled from?

Pencey Prep, a boarding school in Pennsylvania, shortly before Christmas.

Correct answer.

A catcher.

The catcher in the Rye.

All right.

Grab your pens for this one.

If two sides of a rectangle are each 13in long and the other two are 15in long, what is the area of that rectangle?

Munson.

>> Five feet squared.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Chicopee High School.

That gives you the chance to answer.

>> Uh, we don't know.

>> I like the honesty.

All right.

Munson, you were close.

195in is the right answer.

Very close.

All right, let's move on and try this one.

In the simple sentence, doctor, Sarah is a reliable physician.

What part of speech is the word reliable?

Chicopee.

>> Adjective?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

In music, which of the following terms is a direction to play?

A section in a lively and fast tempo.

Is it Lento?

Allegretto or vivace?

Munson.

>> Allegretto.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Chicopee High School.

Can you answer the question?

>> Vinci.

>> Yes.

That's right.

Nice.

On June 13th, 1966, the US Supreme Court ruled that police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning them.

This landmark decision is known as Miranda versus what US state.

>> Chicopee, Minnesota.

>> I'm sorry, that is incorrect.

Munson High School, that gives you the chance to answer.

>> Virginia.

>> Arizona is the right answer there.

The speed of light in a vacuum is a universal physical constant that is approximately equal to how many miles per second.

186,000 is the answer to that question.

Of the following films that are set all or in part at sea, which was not directed by James Cameron, The abyss, The Perfect Storm, or Titanic?

Munson.

>> The Perfect storm.

>> The perfect storm, yes, that's correct.

That was directed by Wolfgang Petersen.

Let's try this one.

A bungalow is a type of what is it, an SUV, house or boat?

Munson house.

House?

Yes.

That's right.

If you travel due north from Charleston, West Virginia, what is the first state border that you'll cross?

>> Munson, Ohio.

>> Yes, Ohio is right.

On January 23rd, 1845, the United States Congress established a uniform date for federal elections, which henceforth have been held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday.

In what month?

Munson.

>> November.

>> November.

Yes.

That's right.

The discipline dealing with the principles of the design, construction and ornamentation of fine buildings is called architecture.

Please spell the word architecture as it's used in that sentence.

Time is up.

Correct answer r I t e c t u r e. Let's move on with the next one.

Alexandria is the second largest city.

In what African country?

Munson.

>> Egypt.

>> Egypt.

Yes.

What Massachusetts born writer and poet wrote the 1839 supernatural horror story The Fall of the House of usher.

Chicopee.

>> Uh.

Something.

Davies.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Right.

Munson high school.

Can you answer the question?

>> Edgar Allan poe?

>> Yes.

Poe is the right answer to that question.

And that marks the end of our challenge round.

Let's take a minute now to meet the team from Chicopee High School.

>> Hi, I'm McKenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Chicopee High if you could take a field trip anywhere in the world.

Where would you go?

>> I would want to go to, um, Africa just because I love the wildlife there.

And I think it'd be really great.

And to see the national parks there.

>> Tokyo, Japan.

One of the most beautiful places I want to go with wonderful For food, wonderful places to go and all.

Overall wonderful.

>> Let's move on now to the first lightning round of the match.

Each team will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

Buzz in answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

Your team loses five points while matching initials.

Each of these clues describes a famous individual whose first and last names begin with the same letter.

You have 90s starting right now.

He was head coach of the New England Patriots.

Munson.

>> Bill Belichick.

>> Yes, that's correct.

He was a Massachusetts governor and U.S. president.

Calvin Coolidge is the right answer.

Not quite.

In time.

He played Wade Wilson in the Deadpool movies.

Munson.

>> Ryan.

Reynolds.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

The rookie guard for the WNBA, Indiana Fever.

Munson.

>> Caitlin.

>> Clark.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

She's been an Associate Supreme Court justice since 2009.

Chicopee.

>> Just Judy.

>> Correct answer there is Sonia Sotomayor is the right answer.

He directed the Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park films.

Chicopee.

>> Uh, I know this one.

Uh.

>> Steven Spielberg is the right answer there.

Let's try this one.

He was the 40th U.S. president.

>> Ronald Reagan.

>> Just in time.

Yes.

He played the lead role in the Rocky movies.

Munson.

>> Sylvester Stallone.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Rascally rabbit of Warner Brothers cartoons.

Chicopee.

>> Animaniacs.

>> Bugs Bunny is the right answer.

She portrayed Wonder Woman in the 2017 film.

>> Gal Gadot.

>> Yes!

Gal Gadot is the right answer.

She played Ursula in 2023 Little Mermaid Chicopee.

>> Halle Berry.

>> Melissa McCarthy is the right answer.

There he was.

Bucky Barnes in the Captain America movies.

Munson.

>> Sebastian.

Stan.

>> Yes!

That's right.

Dutch painter of the Starry Night.

Chicopee.

>> Vincent van.

>> Gogh.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

And that bell marks the end of our first lightning round.

Let's move on now with a capitalization round.

That's where teams get the chance to pick a category and a point value.

They'll need to answer a qualifying question first before they can continue on for points.

If they fail to answer the qualifying question correctly, their opponents will have the opportunity to capitalize and get those points.

All right.

Right now Chicopee you are behind also means you get the first opportunity to pick a category and a point value.

What's it going to be?

>> Arts and entertainment for 25.

>> Arts and entertainment for 25.

To qualify, take a look at your screens.

Though he never won an Oscar for Best Actor in 2021, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named this actor as one of its Academy Honorary Award recipients.

>> Name him Samuel L Jackson.

>> Yes, that's correct.

Let's move on.

Here are clues to several other great actors nominated more than once for Best Actor in a Leading Role, but never won.

I'll name the films they were nominated for.

You tell me the actor for ten points each.

First, the lead actor in Jerry Maguire and Top Gun Maverick.

>> Tom cruise.

>> Yes, that's correct.

Actress in What's Love Got to Do with It and Black Panther Wakanda Forever.

>> Chadwick Boseman.

>> Correct answer.

There is Angela Bassett.

All right, let's try this one finally for five points.

Actor in Finding Neverland, Sweeney Todd and Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp.

Yes.

That's correct.

All right, Munson, your turn to pick a category and a point value.

>> World events for 30, please.

>> World events for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Who is the president of the United States at the end of the Korean War in July 1953?

>> Dwight D Eisenhower?

>> Yes, that's correct.

Let's move on.

World events in 1953 for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

On March 5th, 1953, this former general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union died at the age of 74.

Name him.

>> Joseph Stalin.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

On May 29th of 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay from Nepal became the first humans to reach the summit of what.

>> Mount Everest?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

And finally, try this.

The 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA was made possible by Doctor Rosalind Franklin's X-ray diffraction work at King's College in London.

What do the initials DNA stand for?

>> Deoxyribonucleic acid?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Nice job.

All right.

Chicopee.

Once again, it's your turn.

>> General knowledge for 20.

>> General knowledge for 20.

Here's your qualifying question.

Borzoi, Akita and Javanese are all breeds of what?

Type of animal.

>> Dogs.

>> Dogs?

Yes.

That's right.

Let's move on.

Let's see if you can name some fictional dogs for ten points each.

Here's the first one.

This storybook canine is known as the big Red dog.

Clifford.

Clifford the dog.

Clifford.

Yes.

That's correct.

One of my favorites.

All right.

And finally, this one.

This was Dorothy's companion in the L. Frank Baum classic story.

Didn't have to finish that one, Toto.

Yes, in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Nice job.

All right, Munson, your turn please.

Once again, pick a category and a point value.

>> Uh, social studies for 30, please.

>> Social studies for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens.

Founded in 1754 as King's College, Columbia University is the fifth oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

In what city and state does Columbia University call home?

>> New York City, New York.

>> Yes, you are correct.

Let's stick with the Ivy League.

I'll name three more Ivy League schools.

You tell me in what city and state each is located.

These are for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

Princeton University.

>> Princeton, new Jersey.

>> Yes, that's correct.

The University of Pennsylvania.

>> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

>> Yes.

That's right.

And finally, Harvard University.

>> Cambridge, Massachusetts.

>> Yes.

Cambridge, Massachusetts is correct.

Okay.

Chicopee.

Once again, your turn.

>> All right.

Let's go with arts and entertainment for 20.

>> Arts and entertainment for 20.

All right.

Here we go with your qualifying question.

Which of the following artists was not a surrealist painter?

Georges Braque, man Ray or Salvador Dali?

>> Man Ray.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Roy Munson high school.

Can you capitalize.

>> George?

Um.

>> I'm sorry.

Time is up.

Correct answer is Georges Braque.

Let's move on with Munson.

Once again, please pick a category and a point value.

>> A general knowledge for 30, please.

>> General knowledge for 30.

Oh, we have a video qualifier so please take a look at your screen.

>> Hi, I'm Hilary Price, award winning cartoonist and creator of the syndicated comic strip Rhymes With Orange from Hadley, Massachusetts.

With your qualifying question.

This famous comic strip, created by Charles Schulz and first published in 1950, became a cultural icon and introduced characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Lucy to qualify.

Name this comic strip.

>> Peanuts, peanuts.

>> Peanuts.

Yes, that is correct.

More with peanuts characters for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

This philosophical peanuts character is always seen with his blue security blanket in tow.

His name is Shermy.

Linus or Play-Doh.

>> Linus.

>> Linus.

Yes, that is correct.

This peanuts character calls Charlie Brown.

Chuck always wears sandals and refers to the dog, Snoopy, as a funny looking kid with a big nose.

Is her name peppermint Paula.

Peppermint Patty or peppermint Priscilla.

>> Peppermint patty.

>> Peppermint patty.

Yes.

That's correct.

And finally, this peanuts bird friend of Snoopy's got his name from a trendy upstate New York town known for its yearly local music festivals in the 1960s.

Is this character's name Ruby shady or Woodstock?

>> Woodstock.

>> Woodstock.

Yes, that is correct.

All right.

Chicopee.

Once again, please pick a category and a point value.

>> General knowledge for 25.

>> General knowledge for 25.

Here's your qualifying question.

Listen to the sentence.

I went to an independent dealer to buy my car.

Spell the word independent.

>> I an e I and t e d I e. >> I'm sorry.

Time is up, however, so that gives Munson High School the chance to capitalize.

>> I an d e e and D, e and T. >> Yes, that is correct.

More spelling with words beginning with I.

D for ten points each.

First, something not sharply outlined or is not clearly recognizable is said to be indistinct.

Spelled the word indistinct.

>> I and d I s t I n c. >> Yes that's correct.

Try this one.

When a statement is unable to be challenged or denied, it is considered to be indisputable.

Spell the word indisputable.

>> I n d I s p u t a b.

>> Yes, that is right.

All right.

Finally, this one's for five points.

If a situation continues without a conclusion, it is said to go on indefinitely.

Spell the word indefinitely.

>> I n d e f I n I t e. l y.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Nice job.

All right, Munson, once again, your turn to please pick a category and a point value.

>> Oh, social studies for 25, please.

>> Social studies for 25.

To qualify, you have picked the Westfield State University entrance exam.

Question.

Answer the qualifier and all of the category questions correctly.

Your team wins an additional ten points.

All right.

Good luck.

Here we go.

China is bordered by 14 other nations.

Which of the following is not one of them?

Vietnam, Afghanistan, Mongolia or South Korea.

>> South Korea.

>> South Korea is correct.

Let's move on.

Whose neighbors and whose not?

I'll name two Asian countries.

You tell me whether they share a common border or not for five points each.

Here's the first one.

Iran and Afghanistan.

>> Yes.

>> Yes, yes is correct.

Turkey and Iraq.

>> No.

>> Correct answer actually is yes.

Try India and Mongolia.

No, no is right.

Vietnam and Bangladesh.

>> Yes.

>> Correct answer is no.

And finally, Yemen and Oman.

>> Yes.

>> Yes.

>> Yes is correct.

All right.

Chicopee.

Once again, please pick a category and a point value.

>> Arts and entertainment for 30.

>> Arts and entertainment for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

Take a look at your screens in 2020 for the fourth film of this animated Dreamworks franchise.

Brought back the familiar voices of Jack Black and Dustin Hoffman.

Name this movie franchise.

>> Kung Fu Panda.

>> Yes, that is right.

All right, let's move on.

More with popular animation movie franchises.

These are for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

The year 2024 also brought the fourth film of this illumination animated franchise, which began in 2010.

Name this franchise.

>> Despicable me.

>> Yes, that is correct.

The fifth installment of this film franchise was released back in 2016.

The sixth installment is due out in 2026.

Name this animated film franchise.

>> Ice age.

>> Yes.

Ice age is right.

All right.

Finally, the fourth installment of this Pixar Animation Studios film was released in 2019, 24 years after the first installment in 1995.

Name this animated film franchise.

>> Toy story.

>> Yes.

Very nice job.

Clean sweep.

All right, Munson, once again, your turn.

>> Math and science for 30.

>> Math and science for 30.

Here's your qualifying question.

The visible surface of our sun is a sea of boiling gas emitting light and heat.

Beginning with the letter P, what is the name of the visible surface of our sun?

>> Proto sphere.

>> I'm sorry.

That is incorrect.

Chicopee.

Can you capitalize?

>> Photosphere.

>> Photosphere is the right answer.

Let's move on.

More about our sun for ten points each.

Take a look at your screen first.

When viewing images of the sun's photosphere, the darker, cooler areas on the surface of the sun are known as what?

>> The core.

>> I'm sorry.

Correct answer is sunspots.

The outer part of the sun's atmosphere can only be viewed during a total eclipse, beginning with the letter C. What is it called?

>> Eclipse.

>> Correct answer is corona.

All right.

Finally, let's try this one.

This solar phenomenon occurs as an intense burst of radiation coming from the release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots.

Name it.

>> First.

>> Good guess.

However, correct answer is solar flare.

And that marks the end of our capitalization round.

Let's take a minute now to meet the team from Munson High School.

>> Hi, I'm Mackenzie Gaudet from Westfield State University.

We asked the team from Munson High.

What's the most interesting fact you've learned this year?

>> Peanuts are used as an ingredient in dynamite.

>> Alaska is the only US state that you can type with a one row on a keyboard.

>> Um, cows have best friends, and they actually get separation anxiety.

A traditional chef's hat has 100 folds, which represents 100 ways to prepare an egg.

>> Let's move on to the final lightning round of the match.

Each team will have a chance to buzz in and answer questions for five points each.

Buzz in answer correctly.

You win five points.

Answer incorrectly.

Your team loses five points.

Well, you'll need to be a critic of words for this round.

All of the answers are words that begin and end with the letter C, as in the word critic.

You have 90s starting right now.

An adjective describing a complete lack of order.

Chicopee.

>> Chaotic.

>> Chaotic is correct.

Ailment type marked by frequent recurrence.

Munson.

>> Chronic.

>> Chronic is correct.

Relating to the universe as a whole.

Cosmic is the right answer.

A member of a Boston basketball team.

Munson.

>> Celtic?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

Having an abnormal fear of enclosed spaces.

Munson.

>> Claustrophobic?

>> Yes.

That's correct.

A facility for the treatment of outpatients.

Clinic is the right answer.

A popular model of Honda automobile.

Munson.

Civic.

Civic is correct.

In an immobile or unresponsive stupor.

Catatonic is the right answer.

The current geological era that began 65 million years ago.

>> The Big Bang.

>> Cenozoic is the right answer there.

Having a charm or allure that inspires fascination.

Munson.

>> Charisma.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

The opposite of tragic.

>> Chicopee.

>> Happily, happily.

>> Comic is the right answer there.

Of or relating to the heart.

Cardiac is the right answer.

Porcelain is a type of this material.

Munson.

>> Ceramic.

>> Yes.

That's correct.

The alphabet used in Eastern European languages.

Ah, that bell marks the end of our last lightning round.

It also marks the end of our match.

We have a quick adjustment to make.

In that last lightning round.

We asked the question.

Having a charm or allure that inspires fascination.

Well, Munson High School gave an incorrect answer.

We were looking for charismatic.

They said.

Charisma.

So we are going to adjust the score accordingly.

We want to thank both teams for a great matchup tonight.

To see this season's roster and for more information, be sure to log on to our web page at npr.org.

Or you can look for us on Facebook and Instagram.

I'm your host, Beth Ward.

Good night, and be sure to tune in again next time.

As schools match wits.

>> The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association are working together to ensure that all students have the resources they need to succeed.

The MTA 180 years of commitment to the public, schools and colleges our communities deserve.

>> To excel is so recognized that you want to continue to grow and transform and evolve into a better person.

Westfield State is a fit for me because it's a campus that's big enough to host a community in which I can get to know different kinds of people.

>> The impact I want to leave at Westfield State is to be a leader, to get involved.

Each person has their own excellence.

>> Hold up.

I drop this beat like.

Stop like somebody.

>> Do you want to see when your school's match is scheduled?

Want to know who the past ASM champions are?

Have a question you'd like to see us ask?

Then log on to the As Schools Match Wits web page at npr.org.

You can see this season's roster, a listing of past ASM champions, and even submit a question of your own, which may be used in a future episode.

It's all just a mouse click away.