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1 Aa

A An isthmus formed when a river meander is cut off, forming an oxbow lake

B A rough volcanic lava flow characterised by jumbled piles of loose, sharp blocks

C A haze of volatile organic chemicals given off by rainforest canopies

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2 Boojums

A In physics, geometric patterns that form on the surface of superfluid helium

B In astronomy, Blue Objects Observed Just Undergoing Moderate Starbursts

C In botany, strange cactus-like trees (Fouquieria columnaris) found primarily on the Baja California peninsula in Mexico

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3 Degeneracy

A When two different genetic sequences code for the same thing

B When two differently arranged quantum systems share the same energy

C When two different plants share the same bed

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4 Frass

A Freshly cut grass

B Iron filings

C Insect excrement

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5 Jerk

A In physics, the third derivative of displacement with respect to time

B In genomics, a discontinuity in a base sequence that disrupts replication

C In chemistry, a sudden, unexpected reflux through a distillation condenser

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6 MACHOs

A Male Androgens Correlated to Hepatic Output, hormones implicated in differing metabolic rates between the sexes

B Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects, a possible identity for dark matter

C Molecular Anionic Compounds with Hydrophobic Oxygen Species, a common ingredient of soaps and face creams

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7 Monorchid

A Of a plant, having only one fruiting body

B Of a taxonomic genus, having only one constituting species

C Of a scrotum, having only one testicle

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8 Nutation

A Swimming with tucked-in feet to decrease water resistance, as practised by crocodilians and others

B A periodic variation in the direction of a planet鈥檚 axis of rotation

C The regular shedding of skin, characteristic of many lizards

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9 Penguin

A An aquatic bird of the family Spheniscidae, primarily in the Antarctic

B A symmetry-violating process in particle physics in which a quark temporarily changes flavour

C A subroutine in a Google search that penalises sites artificially stuffed with highly searched keywords

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10 Piloerection

A A molecular scaffold used to increase catalytic efficiency

B Spontaneous sexual arousal

C Goosebumps

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11 Spaghettification

A The braiding of a river鈥檚 main channel that occurs with high sediment load

B The tangling of neurons in the brain that is a precursor to some forms of neurodegenerative disease

C The stretching of an object by gravity as it falls into a black hole

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12 Struthious

A Of or resembling an ostrich

B Causing the contraction of biological cells; astringent

C Of a geometric shape, enclosing a finite volume within an infinite surface area

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13 Tappen

A A plug of hardened faeces that seals off a bear鈥檚 rectum during hibernation

B A viscous resin produced by subarctic pine species that is prized for its antiseptic properties

C The proboscis through which a butterfly extracts nectar from a plant

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14 Thunk

A In physics, the fourth derivative of displacement with respect to time

B In psychology, a thought forgotten as soon as it needs to be vocalised

C In computer programming, a subroutine used to feed a calculation into another subroutine

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15 Wino

A A gene in fruit flies that, when mutated, causes unusual attraction to ethanol

B A family of three force-carrying particles that is postulated in supersymmetry theory

C An insect related to the pond skater and noted for its skittish movements on water (Tachygerris inexpectatus)

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16 Wombling

A The act of making useful things from discarded litter, as practised by Elisabeth Beresford鈥檚 Wombles

B A mathematical method for detecting regions of abrupt change, for example in a genome, named after its inventor, William H. Womble

C Moving along with the belly touching the ground, a method of locomotion favoured by newts and salamanders

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17 Ylem

A A historical term for the inert component of air, what we now know as nitrogen

B The primordial matter that filled the universe in the first instant of the big bang

C The proteinaceous component of the cytoplasm, the fluid that fills biological cells

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18 CHEMISTRY CORNER: Which of the following is a genuine name of a chemical molecule?

A Fucitol

B Arsole

C Moronic acid

D Bastardane

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19 GEOLOGY CORNER:Which of the following is a genuine name of a mineral species?

A Fukalite

B Cummingtonite

C Taconite

D Welshite

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20 MATHS CORNER

鈥淕iven n measurable objects in n-dimensional Euclidean space, it is possible to divide all of them in half with a single (n 鈥� 1)-dimensional hyperplane鈥�

This is:

A The chicken nugget theorem

B The jam doughnut theorem

C The ham sandwich theorem

D The turkey twizzler theorem

Quiz compiled by 91av executive editor Richard Webb. He much prefers a bimble to a womble